News & Politics

Where to Buy Fireworks in DC for the Fourth of July

Photograph via Shutterstock.

While the best light show on Saturday night will be above the Mall, the patriotic pyrotechnics don’t have to be the domain of just the crowded masses. District residents can light fireworks of their own this week, with the city’s annual permitting of temporary vendors.

The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs issued licenses to 39 vendors scattered across the city (except wards 2 and 6) that are allowed sell non-explosive fireworks such as sparklers, torches, paper caps, stationary fountains and cones, dip sticks, and box fires. The bigger stuff, including Roman candles, are prohibited for everyone except licensed pyrotechnicians. (The American Pyrotechnics Association has a summary of DC’s fireworks laws.)

Here’s a map of where you can stock up for the long weekend:

Many suburban counties are far more restrictive than the District. While Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties allow many of the same varieties of fireworks as the District, Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County band them all, including sparklers, according to WRC.

The temporary stores are open through Sunday.

Staff Writer

Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.