Coastal Commission approves Labor Day weekend 'Big Bang,' signals it might be the last
The July 3 Big Bang on the Bay event was postponed due to issues with the application. It will now take place Sunday, Sept. 1.
There will be a Big Bang on the Bay in Long Beach this year but it will be in September after the California Coastal Commission approved a permit Friday to allow the event, which typically happens around the Fourth of July, to take place Labor Day weekend.
While commissioners voted 7-3 to approve the permit for the Labor Day weekend event, some cautioned that the event wouldn’t have their support in the future. The divide among commissioners could mean that September’s event could be the last Big Bang on the Bay that includes fireworks.
“I’ll support this today but I think it’s pretty clear this is the last year the commission will support fireworks,” commissioner Chair Caryl Hart said.
Commissioners’ reservations stemmed from the ecological impacts that fireworks can have on water and air quality as well as local wildlife that typically flee the surrounding areas because of the noise and light produced by fireworks.
Commissioners also pointed to the permit the granted last year to Boathouse on the Bay owner John Morris, which stipulated members of the public should have continued access to the area despite Big Bang on the Bay being a private, ticketed event.
Photos sent to the commission from last year’s event, however, showed that members of the public were denied access to areas that were mandated to stay open, according to commission staff.
The commission recently began requiring coastal permits for fireworks shows across the state due to the potential effects on the environment, something its tasked with safeguarding.
Morris blamed the commission earlier this year for the cancelation of the July 3 event, claiming it refused the permit application because it was turned in one day late. Commission staff, meanwhile, has maintained Morris had months to work with them to figure out how the July event would happen responsibly but that they were met with silence before he handed the task over to the Boys and Girls Club.
Environmental groups have railed against the event on Alamitos Bay that has lit up the city’s sky since 2011, saying that the particulate matter from exploding fireworks results in poisonous chemicals dropping into the bay and the loud noises disturb local bird nests.
The permit granted by the commission Friday will allow the Boys and Girls Clubs of Long Beach to put on the Sept. 1 event, which will generate funds for the organization through ticket sales that range from $50 for children to $100 for adults, with more expensive VIP packages available.
Donald Rodriguez, CEO of the local organization, said the group is just trying to give back to the community and the event will not only raise funds, but allow some of its members an opportunity to attend the event, which they might not otherwise be able to afford.
September’s show will go forward, but future shows will require another fresh application for a permit and a required alternative analysis that must look at things like drone shows instead of using fireworks.
The analysis turned in with the application approved by the commission Friday asserted that a drone show was not feasible because of time constraints, something some commissioners pushed back on.
Commissioner Justin Cummings said that the commission made it clear last year that any event in 2024 would need to seriously look at things like drones and disagreed that there wasn’t enough time to get clearance for a drone show to replace the fireworks show in September.
“We tried to provide an alternative and that was more or less ignored,” Cummings said. “We all want to support the Boys and Girls Clubs but there needs to be better trust moving forward.”
Commissioner Roberto Uranga, who also serves on the Long Beach City Council, said there could be complicating factors for a drone show like wind that might cause a last-minute cancellation of the show.
“I don’t want that,” Uranga said. “I don’t want to see that and certainly I don’t want the Boys and Girls Clubs to lose because of that.”
The Big Bang on the Bay is scheduled to happen Sunday, Sept. 1 from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Alamitos Bay.
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