COLUMBUS (WCMH) — For a second straight year, the fireworks of Red, White & BOOM! will not be going off before Independence Day.
But the show still could go on, just at a later date.
Red, White & BOOM! was canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and on Thursday, its board of directors announced that it will not be staged this year on Friday, July 2, because it was unable to receive permitting from the city of Columbus.
“While disappointed Central Ohioans will not be able to attend the largest fireworks show in the Midwest on its original date, the Board of Trustees for RW&B! has committed to continue working with Mayor [Andrew] Ginther’s office to find an appropriate alternative date, either in late summer or early fall,” a news release from the board said.
“We think that because we’re still red as a county, and we’re only at a 40% vaccination rate right now, the safest and healthiest way we can protect the entire community is to continue to avoid these large gatherings, continuing to ask people to mask up, continue to get people vaccinated. That’s where our real focus and energy is,” said Mayor Andrew Ginther. “I’m committed to working with Red, White and Boom! to make 2022 the biggest and best Boom ever. We’re not on the other side of this pandemic yet.”
Ginther said it is their job to make sure they are making the best decisions not only for Columbus residents, but all of central Ohio.
Red, White & BOOM!, held on the banks of the Scioto River, is known for drawing 400,000 people Downtown each year. The next time Red, White & BOOM! takes place, it will mark the 40th show.
Officials had been hopeful of staging the show with COVID-19 cases on the decline in Ohio and the state’s pandemic health orders set to expire on June 2, a month before the what would have been the 2021 date for Red, White & BOOM!
NBC4 helps produce and support Red, White & BOOM! with G&J Pepsi, WNCI and Encova Insurance.
Here is the news release from the board of Red, White & BOOM!:
Red White & Boom! (RW&B!), a 501 c3 non-profit that has presented RW&B! for 39 years is announcing there will be no Red, White and Boom! on July 2nd. After months of working with city leaders through the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic we have received word that this year’s event will not receive permitting by the city of Columbus for the originally scheduled date of Friday, July 2nd.
While disappointed Central Ohioans will not be able to attend the largest fireworks show in the Midwest on its original date, the Board of Trustees for RW&B! has committed to continue working with Mayor Ginther’s office to find an appropriate alternative date, either in late summer or early fall. The Red, White and Boom! Board of Trustees is made up of leaders from NBC4, G&J Pepsi, Encova Insurance and WNCI.