Nearly two months after President Trump declared that Washington, D.C., would host the “LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY,” Guinness World Records has made it official.
In a posting on its website, Guinness said the record-setting display featured 840,537 fireworks. The spectacle was produced by Freedom 250 and Pyrotecnico, Inc., both based in the United States, during an event organized by Event Strategies Inc. in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2026.
The Independence Day celebration did not go off without complications. Severe weather forced delays and prompted officials to evacuate revelers from the National Mall, but hundreds of thousands of spectators still remained to watch the fireworks begin shortly before midnight.
Before the display, Trump delivered a shortened address as part of the “Salute to America” program marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Once the record-breaking show finally started, it lit up the capital’s skyline for roughly 40 minutes.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had previewed the enormous scale of the production in June, noting that the fireworks would be launched from multiple locations across the city.
“Normally the fireworks are set off right along here,” Burgum told the Washington Reporter, referring to the area near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“This year, because of the size and scale of the thing, there are so many locations where the fireworks are going to be going off, including barges,” he added.
The White House launched Freedom 250 as a public-private partnership months ago and the president serves as chair of the initiative.
The previous record holder for largest fireworks celebration was a megachurch’s 2016 New Year’s Eve show, which featured 810,904 fireworks, according to The Washington Post.
“On July 4th, America came together to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday with the largest fireworks display in history — over 850,000 fireworks lighting up the National Mall and the Potomac River, and miles around in a 40-minute spectacular,” Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez shared in a statement with Fox News Digital.
Alvarez added, “This historic display shattered the previous global benchmark and stands as a powerful symbol of unity, resilience, and pride as we begin our nation’s next 250 years. Freedom 250 is honored to have brought this moment to millions of Americans, and we thank everyone who made it possible.”
“No other president in history could have accomplished the incredible feat that President Trump did at our Nation’s historic 250th birthday celebration, which included an incredible air show, a record-breaking fireworks display, and an inspiring speech delivered before hundreds of thousands of American patriots,” the White House said in a statement, according to the Post.
