Fireworks will light up the sky over Mount Rushmore on July 3, 2026, the first time in five years, as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. The National Park Service announced the celebration this week, ending a drought that began under the Biden administration.
The event reflects a broader push by the Trump administration to restore patriotic traditions that were sidelined or blocked in recent years. It also marks a victory for South Dakota, which fought for years to bring the fireworks back.
Fireworks returned to Mount Rushmore in 2020 for a Fourth of July celebration after years of cancellations blamed on wildfire risks. President Trump delivered a speech at that event that drew both massive crowds and media scorn. As Breitbart News reported, Trump told the crowd that night:
"We only kneel to Almighty God."
The establishment media attacked the celebration. But the event went off without a hitch.
Then-Gov. Kristi Noem later pointed out the obvious. She noted that more than seven thousand people attended and that contact tracing found zero COVID-19 cases linked to the event, in South Dakota or anywhere else. Still, the Biden administration shut down the fireworks. Noem asked Biden to reverse his ban in 2021. She cited a letter from NPS that claimed a fireworks display "would not be safe or responsible."
Biden never budged. The sky over those four granite faces stayed dark for five straight years.
The NPS announcement framed the return as part of President Trump's vision for a "grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence." Dr. Jenifer Chatfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, put it plainly:
"In partnership with the State of South Dakota, we are excited to reinstate a spectacular fireworks show as the highlight of Mount Rushmore's Independence Day commemoration. We invite the public to enjoy the show and reflect on our nation's remarkable journey and the great patriotic leaders who established, preserved, and expanded our country's destiny."
The celebration fits a pattern. Since returning to office, Trump has driven his governing agenda hard, and restoring national symbols ranks high on the list.
The Washington Examiner reported that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed the event on Fox News and tied it to Trump's broader America-250 agenda, which includes reinstated executive orders on rebuilding monuments and the National Garden of American Heroes.
"It'll be more than a single day, but on that day, for sure, there's going to be an incredible celebration right here."
Newsmax detailed that South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden and Burgum formalized the plan through a Memorandum of Agreement. Rhoden praised the partnership directly:
"These fireworks achieve that mission, and I am grateful for Secretary Burgum and President Trump's partnership."
Burgum reinforced the priority:
"Next year, America will celebrate 250 years of independence, and it is a priority of President Trump and the Department of the Interior to ensure we have the appropriate celebration for the greatest nation in the world."
As Just The News noted, Rhoden called it "the biggest birthday party ever for the United States of America." The five-year absence ended not because the safety concerns vanished, they were always pretextual, but because leadership changed.
The Biden-era fireworks ban fits a familiar playbook. Use bureaucratic excuses, wildfire risk, COVID, "safety", to quietly kill patriotic traditions. No vote. No debate. Just a letter from a federal agency and a celebration goes dark.
Trump's approach runs in the opposite direction. Task Force 250, monument restoration, and now fireworks over the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln, all part of an administration that backs its agenda with action. Support even grew in January 2025 for adding Trump's likeness to the memorial.
The ticket lottery opens April 8 and runs through the 12th. Americans who want a seat at the celebration should act fast.
This is also an administration that rewards Americans directly, and understands that national pride isn't a liability. It's the foundation. Meanwhile, Trump-aligned leaders continue consolidating support across the country for exactly this kind of governing vision.
Five years of dark skies over Mount Rushmore told Americans everything they needed to know about who wanted to celebrate this country, and who didn't.
