Citing Crowds, Birmingham Cancels Annual Fireworks Show

BIRMINGHAM, MI — The city of Birmingham has decided to cancel this year's Fourth of July fireworks display due to the size of the expected crowd, according to media reports. The city's fire chief, John Connaughton, told Downtown magazine Friday that the crowds have grown so large in recent years that it has become too difficult to ensure public safety and provide emergency services at the event.

The fireworks were scheduled to take place on July 3 at the Lincoln Hills Golf Course. But the crowds that have gathered there in recent years have become so congested that paramedics cannot find travel lanes for vehicles to respond to medical emergencies, Connaughton said.

As more communities in the greater Detroit region have cancelled their fireworks shows in recent years, more residents have come to Bitmingham to see the pyrotechnics, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Another increase was expected this year, after Plymouth Township cancelled its annual Fourth of July fireworks show and picnic in March, the Free Press reported. Officials in both Birmingham and Plymouth said the cost of providing public safety at the fireworks shows had become too high.

The Birmingham Fire Department made the decision to cancel the fireworks in conjunction with the city's Police Department, according to Downtown.

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