Pasadena leaders hope city can bring back traditional AmericaFest fireworks show

Pasadena leaders are vowing to some day restart a dedicated Fourth of July fireworks show. But for now, what had been a decades-old annual Fourth of July AmericaFest celebration has been shelved, at least in the form fans have become used to as revenue losses plagued the event in recent years.

Rose Bowl Stadium officials confirmed the cancellation this week, instead folding a performance in at the adjacent Brookside Golf Course after a July 4 soccer match between LAFC and the LA Galaxy at the stadium.

Bowl management – which runs the stadium on behalf of the city — said neighbors around the stadium can still enjoy the fireworks, despite the sold-out game, but the city issued a press release stating that only ticket holders will be allowed to park in the Bowl lot and that parking restrictions will be strictly enforced surrounding the area.

Rose Bowl General Manager Jens Weiden said that the general public will not be allowed to park in the surrounding neighborhoods for the show, and that a neighborhood protection plan remains in place. However, guests of surrounding neighborhoods will be offered parking passes issued by the Stadium.

In turn, the city urged those without tickets to the soccer game to “please stay away from the area,” noting that thousands more would be attending the match this year, compared to AmericaFest’s regular turnout.

Weiden clarified that there were “still limited tickets available” if people were still interested in watching the game and the subsequent fireworks show.

According to the city, the Rose Bowl Stadium’s Annual AmericaFest Celebration is known as one of the nation’s largest and longest running shows to celebrate Independence Day, drawing audiences from around the region.

But in recent years, the 100-year-old stadium has faced financial shortfalls and an uncertain economic future, as giant and high-tech venues such as So-Fi Stadium in Inglewood eat away at the vintage Bowl’s market share and attract big-name acts.

Rose Bowl Stadium management said the attendance numbers from last year have made it difficult to sustain a dedicated fireworks event in the long term. Weiden cited more than $500,000 in losses from last year.

In contrast, looking to bring in more revenue especially following last year’s loss, the Rose Bowl Operating Committee (RBOC) stated that the match is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to the stadium.

“The goal is to make a profit on the soccer match,” Weiden said. “Instead of us or the city losing money, the match will offset the hard cost of the fireworks show. We expect to gain a net profit,” Weiden said.

Weiden noted that LA Galaxy played at the the Rose Bowl Stadium in the 90s and early 2000s, with a firework show afterward. So, in a sense, it was a return to Pasadena Rose Bowl tradition, he said.

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo expressed disappointment with the discontinuation of the AmericaFest firework show, stating that he and the City Council still hope to see such a tradition continue.

“We will do everything we can to keep that tradition going,” Gordo stated. “It is very disappointing, and has been a concern in that there are fewer and fewer vendors willing and able to take on a show like this.”

He noted that the city was “committed” to working with the Rose Bowl Operating Committee to maintain the tradition.

Rialto-based Pyro Spectaculars, Weiden said, has been putting on the firework show “for decades,” and will display fireworks following the soccer match on July 4.