LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Like everything else going up in cost, you probably noticed the price of fireworks was also up this year. President of the National Fireworks Association Steve Houser said a big reason is because of exorbitant shipping costs. 

Louisville resident Tina Ennis and her son, Chris Ennis, shop for fireworks together every Fourth of July. A tradition, Tina said, started about four years ago. This Independence Day, they noticed they would get less bang for their buck. 

“Yeah, a little bit higher [prices], but everything else is going up too, so why not fireworks?” Tina quipped. 

Chris said he would still stick to his fireworks budget of about $500; while Tina said she would spend less.

“I’ll probably spend something, maybe about $150, but, again, won’t get as much for your $150. That’s normal because of the price [going] up, but we’ll have a good time,” she said on the Fourth of July while shopping at Phantom Fireworks in Louisville.

The store’s General Manager Hamilton Hyre said despite higher prices, he hasn’t seen sales affected.

“Yea, I’ve seen more sales,” he said. “I guess because of the gas prices. Maybe people don’t want to travel during the holidays, so maybe that plays a factor?”

Hyre added fireworks prices this holiday season are the highest he has seen in the 20 years he has been working in the industry. 

According to National Fireworks Association President Steve Houser, shipping is one of the big reasons for the price increase.

“Average container was $9,800, to get it from China to our door. That means our warehouses. Today, that number is around $36,000, and it’s a number that went up very quickly a lot,” Houser, who is owner of Red Rhino, a fireworks wholesaler with warehouses in Texas and Missouri, explained.

Despite the drastic increase in shipping costs, Houser said the consumer fireworks industry cut profit margins across the board to try and keep prices low, since companies don’t want to lose the consumer fireworks customers gained during the pandemic. 

“Because the COVID lockdowns canceled a lot of public shows. So people that went to public shows instead of buying fireworks all the sudden said, ‘Hey, we’re not going to have a show. We are going to buy fireworks.’ So they entered the market as new customers for our industry, on the consumer side,” Houser explained.

“So they are still coming back in ’22. What we don’t want them to do is run them off, and we as an industry, I think, we have understood that concept,” he added.

While consumer fireworks prices have gone up, the supply chain side of business has been fine, as Houser said there have been no shortages.

However, Houser said the professional fireworks industry, which includes fireworks display shows cities, amusement parks, and sporting events put on, has been hit hard. That’s because of several factors, such as limited inventory due to a lack of shipping space and labor shortages. Houser explained many pyrotechnicians left the industry during the pandemic when display shows were canceled. 

In addition, Houser said the increase in online shopping during the pandemic has negatively affected the industry.

“A lot of those big companies in that retail delivery sector are renting a lot of the trucks that the commercial fireworks market needs to rent to deliver all of their shows,” Houser explained.

Houser said when he used to run a professional fireworks company, he would rent 75-80 trucks every Fourth of July season.

“And each of those trucks was for a town’s show. Well, if you can’t generate those trucks, and you have no way to get the fireworks from point A to point B, you can’t do that town’s show. And that’s something people don’t think of, but it’s a real problem,” he said.

Tina said her family always sets off their own fireworks at their family party. A party which has been going on ever since her son Chris was born.

“He’s 40. So, since he was little on up, fireworks have always been a part of our yearly thing,” she said.

A tradition that higher prices won’t stop.