Fireworks stands across Billings are seeing strong customer turnout this Independence Day weekend, with retailers reporting brisk sales despite elevated prices driven by inflation, shipping costs, and import tariffs. The holiday coincides with the nation’s 250th birthday, drawing families out in force and pushing national fireworks spending to what industry groups project will be an all-time high.
National Spending on Track for a Record
The American Pyrotechnics Association estimates Americans will spend roughly $2.5 billion on consumer fireworks this year — a significant jump from the $2.2 billion that had become the recent annual benchmark and more than six times the $407 million recorded in 2000. The milestone anniversary appears to be driving additional enthusiasm, with shoppers telling retailers they want to mark the occasion in a memorable way.
Shane Salminem, who was shopping at the Montana Fireworks stand off Highway 87 with his wife April and son Odin, summed up the sentiment: “We are here to represent and do 250 in style.”
Billings Retailers See Strong Week
Athena Reichenbach, who works at the Montana Fireworks location off Highway 87, said traffic has been steady throughout the week leading up to the Fourth. The stand is part of Reichenbach Fireworks, which is managed by George Reichenbach.
Sky High Fireworks, located near MetraPark at the corner of Fourth Avenue and 10th Avenue North, is also seeing solid volume. Manager Perri McNeese said most families are spending somewhere between $300 and $400 on fireworks, though some customers are dropping over $1,000.
Prices Up Sharply — Tariffs and Freight Costs the Main Culprits
Shoppers are noticing the higher price tags. Nick Kukus, who stopped by a stand with his son Declan, acknowledged the cost has climbed. “You can get some bang for your buck,” he said. “But I think it’s gone way up as everything else.”
Retailers point to a combination of factors: broad inflation, rising domestic transportation costs, and in particular, the volatile cost of ocean freight from China, where the vast majority of consumer fireworks are manufactured.
George Reichenbach offered a stark illustration of how dramatically import costs have shifted over his career. When he started in the business, ocean freight for a single shipping container ran between $4,000 and $5,000. Last year, that same container cost $23,000 — nearly a fivefold increase.
Federal trade policy added further pressure. A 145 percent tariff rate in 2025 forced Reichenbach’s company to cancel container shipments outright. The rate has since come down to around 22 percent this year, easing some strain but still adding to the underlying cost of imported product. The fireworks industry is among several consumer goods sectors grappling with the downstream effects of tariff adjustments on Chinese imports under the current federal trade framework.
Weather Cooperating for the Weekend
One factor working in retailers’ and celebrants’ favor: the forecast. Conditions across the Billings area are expected to be favorable for the holiday weekend, with minimal fire danger and light winds — a meaningful consideration in Montana, where dry summer conditions can restrict or complicate outdoor fireworks use. The benign forecast is expected to encourage families to make the most of the holiday.
Broader Context
The consumer enthusiasm in Billings mirrors a pattern playing out across the country, where the 250th anniversary of American independence has added symbolic weight to what is already one of the highest-spending holidays of the year. For Montana families, the combination of a landmark anniversary and favorable outdoor conditions appears to be outweighing sticker shock at the sales counter.
Montana retailers are hoping the momentum carries through the weekend. As shoppers across the state mark the sesquicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, local fireworks businesses look to close out their busiest week of the year on a high note.
