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Carnation Festival committee cancels fireworks this year, requests $125,000 from city for 2027
Summary
The Carnation Festival Committee told council it canceled fireworks for this year and is seeking $125,000 in city support for 2027; the committee cited cost and reserve concerns and noted about 35,000 visitors expected during festival week.
The Carnation Festival Committee announced on Aug. 3 that it has canceled the fireworks portion of this year’s festival and requested $125,000 from the city for the 2027 budget cycle.
Joe, the festival’s representative, said organizers decided to cancel fireworks now rather than risk a last‑minute cancellation and that the contract line for fireworks is roughly $25,000. "We are gonna cancel our fireworks this year," he told council, noting the committee may roll unspent funds into next year or leave them with the vendor to hold pricing steady.
Joe described the festival as a long‑running community event that draws about 35,000 guests through the week and supports roughly 18 nonprofit partners on site. Council members asked about reserves, in‑kind contributions and possible lower‑impact alternatives such as drone shows; Joe said drone shows remain materially more expensive (he estimated roughly three to five times the per‑night cost) and that fireworks remain the festival’s primary draw.
Council did not take a final funding vote and directed staff to include the request in the outside‑agency budget discussions later in the process.
