IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – The City of Idaho Falls has announced its plans for the city’s 2027 Independence Day Celebration and the site of next year’s fireworks display on Thursday afternoon.
“The Fourth of July is my favorite time in Idaho Falls. It is part of the reason to live in Idaho Falls,” Mayor Lisa Burtenshaw said. “…We do host the largest Independence Parade [in Idaho], and for decades, Idaho Falls has been home to one of the country’s largest fireworks displays.”
The mayor announced the new launch site will be in a parcel of land south of Freeman Park and north of John’s Hole Bridge on the east side of the Snake River. She says the new location will allow people to view the fireworks from multiple vantage points around the launch site.
Crowds will be able to view the fireworks from Freeman Park, the River Walk/Greenbelt, Reinhart Park, Highland Park, Civitan Park, the Japanese Friendship Garden and South Capital Park.
“What this will allow us to do is have a huge, downtown celebration,” Burtenshaw said.
The mayor said the 10-acre location was selected because the acreage was big enough to hold a large-scale fireworks display. The region also has the infrastructure needed for viewers to safely arrive in and out of the area.
You can watch the press conference in the media player above.
The announcement comes after Melaleuca announced the end of the “Melaleuca Freedom Celebration” after 33 years. The 2026 spectacle for America’s 250th anniversary was the largest fireworks show west of the Mississippi, and one of the top five shows in the nation. Melaleuca stated the end of their show was due to the lack of a suitable venue.
“We want to thank the VanderSloot and the Ball families for the decades that they have sponsored the fireworks,” Burtenshaw said. “We know that this has been a labor of love for them.”
