Organizers are calling it quits on a nearly 60-year Fourth of July tradition. On Wednesday, Cincinnati Parks announced the popular fireworks show at Ault Park will no longer happen, calling the event “a victim of its own success.”
“Due to the growing number of attendees, and increasing complexity, the organizers of the 4th of July fireworks celebration in Ault Park have decided to no longer hold the event,” Cincinnati Parks shared on its website.
The Mt. Lookout park has been the site of the fireworks show for 57 years, but the parks department says because the event has always been volunteer- and community-organized and, in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for those organizers to plan, produce and manage it safely.
“Each year, Parks staff have worked closely with the event leaders to mitigate these issues and continue the fireworks. Unfortunately, the size and complexity of the event has reached a breaking point, and the event has, in many ways, become a victim of its own success,” the department wrote.
The department says because of the popularity of the fireworks display, it wanted to let the public know of the organizers’ decision well in advance.
“All of us at Cincinnati Parks want to offer our sincere thanks to Ault Park Advisory Council (APAC), the Hyde Park Neighborhood Council, the Mt. Lookout Community Council, and each and every volunteer and donor who helped continue this tradition for a fabulous half a century run.”
This article appears in Mar 6-19, 2024.
