07/01/2025
As we look forward to Sierra Vista’s annual Fourth of July festivities, the City of Sierra Vista reminds residents to enjoy the holiday safely by heeding state and local fireworks restrictions, protecting pets, and keeping drones grounded in City parks and sports fields.
This Friday, the Sierra Vista Rotary Club, in partnership with the City of Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca, will host its annual Fourth of July Celebration with a full day of activities. The fun gets started Thursday, July 3, with a Street Dance presented by Rotary in Veterans Memorial Park from 5 to 11 p.m. The event features live music, food vendors, and a beer garden.
On Friday, July 4, activities run from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park, beginning with the Pets & People Promenade. The park will feature live entertainment, food vendors, and a beer garden all day and night, with military demonstrations and displays including the Salute to the Union ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., which includes an F16 fly-over by the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard.
The 58th Annual Spectacular 4th of July Fireworks Show runs from 8:05 to 9 p.m. The show can be viewed up close from the City sports complex fields along Tacoma Drive or from Veterans Memorial Park. The Highway 90 Bypass will be closed on Thursday night between Coronado Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway from 6 to 10 p.m. due to the public fireworks display.
“We encourage everyone to enjoy the public fireworks display and to forgo any private fireworks, which can pose significant fire danger and injury risk,” Sierra Vista Fire Marshal Don Foster says. “We also want to remind folks that private fireworks, including sparklers, are not allowed in the parks or on other public land.”
Many consumer fireworks are illegal in Arizona, including anything designed to become airborne and explode. Bottle rockets, sky rockets, roman candles, helicopters, and jumping jacks are common examples of fireworks that remain illegal statewide.
Permitted fireworks include cylindrical and cone fountains, ground spinners, illuminating torches, and other types designed to be handheld or to remain on the ground.
In Sierra Vista consumer fireworks can only be used on private property, with permission of the property owner. Any public areas, to include parks, schools, streets, and public rights-of-way, are off limits. It is also illegal for anyone under 16 to purchase fireworks and for anyone under 18 to use them unless supervised by an adult. All consumer fireworks are prohibited on Fort Huachuca, and consumer fireworks off post may only be used between June 24 and July 6.
Protect your pets
While Independence Day promises plenty of family-friendly fun, the combination of heat, large crowds, and loud noises can make it anything but fun for the furry members of the family.
The most common risk is the potential for fireworks to spook pets, especially dogs, into running away and getting lost.
“Fireworks displays during Fourth of July often spook dogs who will run and end up lost or turned into the shelter,” City Animal Control Supervisor Arleen Garcia says. “Please ensure your pets are secured and safe during the holiday.”
Leaving pets outside unsheltered is also dangerous due to the extreme heat experienced during the day this time of year. And hot cars are the last place for a pet, as the temperature can reach extremely dangerous levels in a matter of minutes. Plus, pets’ paws can be hurt by walking on hot pavement.
Pets are also not allowed in Veterans Memorial Park during the event except for during the Pets and People Promenade Friday morning from 7 to 9 a.m.
No drone zone
The use of unmanned aircraft, commonly known as drones, is prohibited in City parks and fields, aside from Bolin Field, unless they are used within an organized City program under supervision or authorized by a written permit from the City’s director of Parks, Recreation, & Library.
Flying a drone during the public fireworks display could be particularly hazardous and will result in a delay in the show until the drone is grounded.
