Internet Portal Lists All Fourth Of July Fireworks/Parades in the Entire Country

Austin, TX — Wouldn't it be cool if, no matter where your travels take you this Fourth of July, there was a website where you could easily input your location into a field and see a pop up telling you where the nearest fireworks displays or parades were being staged?

Wouldn't it be cool if there were such a site? Well it would be, and there is.

Ahead of Independence Day, Reston, Virginia-based company MapMuse has been furiously adding and updating to its growing collection of interactive maps showing Fourth of July fireworks displays and parades throughout the U.S.

"We currently have listings and map for over 1,5o0 public 4th of July firework display events, and nearly 900 4th of July parades/celebrations," MapMuse owner Mike Pilon wrote to Patch in an email. "I think your readers would find these maps and listings very useful for planning their Independence Day celebrations and activities."

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In a previous story, Patch provided a guide to area fireworks displays (click here to see the Austin-area fireworks guide). It is, admittedly, a humble little offering meant to solely list official fireworks displays in the immediate area in and around Austin.

But this MapMuse thing is exponentially more ambitious. It's like a guide on steroids. Patch Austin tried it out to see how effective a tool it might be. Suffice it to say, Patch Austin was blown away.

One can input one's state in a field on top, and quickly a list of cities within that state pop up. From there, one can localize one's search for addresses and other information on locally staged festivities.

Pilon said that was the goal of the project: "While most people know where their local fireworks displays will be, our maps and information will allow them to find displays that may occur on different days (to extend their viewing enjoyment) and in areas nearby that they may not have been aware of."

To access fireworks displays by state — from Alaska to Wyoming — click here. In clicking Texas, for example, you'll immediately see a list of 90 fireworks displays in the state. For a listing of parades and other Independence Day festivities, click here.

Pilon invited Patch readers to add their own official events for potential inclusion into the site's compilation.

Generally speaking, it's illegal to set off fireworks within city limits. It's a classic Catch-22, given that one sees fireworks stands sprout up on cities' outskirts each year where one can buy fireworks. One can buy fireworks, but one isn't legally allowed to light them.

Odd, no?

Given this contradiction, emergency first responders urge members of the public to attend official, professionally staged fireworks displays instead of lighting one's own pyrotechnics.

This makes the MapMuse site particularly useful.

Even in the capital of Texas, fireworks are not allowed within the city limits. We say even, just because it's the capital, and one might think one might get a pass on the fireworks in the capital of the state

One would be wrong — very, very wrong. Round Rock law enforcement officials recently produced a video that serves as a primer on where fireworks are banned. The actors seen in the video are actual fire department personnel (don't be fooled by their superior thespian skills):

Staging one's own fireworks is not only illegal, it's dangerous. According to a newly released Consumer Product Safety Commission, last year was the worst year for fireworks injuries in at least 15 years. Eleven people died in 2015 using fireworks, the report said, and an estimated 11,900 people were taken to the hospital with fireworks-related injuries.

The National Fire Protection Association has released videos demonstrating the dangers, using mannequins to illustrate the dangers:

So maybe visit the Patch guide or the more ambitious MapMuse version and watch the pros light up fireworks instead. Be safe, have fun and, above all: Happy Fourth of July!