Jersey City Brings Back 4th of July Fireworks Show For 2021

JERSEY CITY, NJ — New Jersey's largest fireworks display is returning to Jersey City this year for the 4th of July "Freedom and Fireworks" event.

The city announced on Monday that the Jersey City waterfront will be lit up this Fourth of July with Fireworks by Grucci. The display was canceled last year as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19.

While this year’s Freedom and Fireworks event will not be able to include the yearly festival and superstar concerts like years past, the city said the decision to only include fireworks was made with the community’s needs and safety at the top of mind.

Just after sunset on July 4, Grucci’s fireworks will launch from two barges in the Hudson River, painting the sky with an unparalleled backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.

“Since we revived Jersey City’s Fourth of July event in 2013, we’ve become a destination for the annual celebration, and I think it’s important to restore those traditions for residents and visitors to have something to look forward to,” said Mayor Steven Fulop. “It was the right decision to cancel last year’s event as safety obviously takes precedence, but we are excited to start again this year.”

While there are no longer limits for outdoor gatherings, residents and visitors are invited to watch the fireworks along the waterfront while maintaining all safety protocols necessary.

In the past, July fourth festivals attracted crowds of nearly 150,000 people, with headliners for the daylong music festival on stage ranging from Jersey City’s own Kool and the Gang in 2017, Snoop Dogg in 2018, Pitbull in 2019, and local native Akon.

Fireworks by Grucci is a sixth-generation, family-owned and operated fireworks company that has developed a prominent reputation, having performed at eight U.S. Presidential Inaugurations, Olympic Games, World’s Fairs, and earning the Guinness World Record for “largest fireworks display” ever recorded.

“We’ve come a long way since this time last year, and bringing back the fireworks next month will not only commemorate our nation’s independence, but, for many, it also serves as a big step towards normalcy following a year of lockdowns worldwide. Grucci is the best in the business, and we look forward to putting on one of the best Fourth of July fireworks celebrations yet again this year,” said Fulop.

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