Long Beach’s signature July 3 block party, Big Bang on the Bay, is on the brink of losing its trademark fireworks as a long-simmering fight heads to a high-stakes state vote. Event organizer John Morris is appealing a staff decision that rejected his bid to keep pyrotechnics for the 2026 show, and the full California Coastal Commission is set to weigh in at its April 15 meeting. That hearing follows a 2025 permit that allowed one last year of fireworks, while strongly nudging the event toward a drone show in the years that follow.
State staff says no to more fireworks
Commission staff has recommended that commissioners uphold the Executive Director’s January 27 decision denying Morris’s amendment request, arguing the proposal conflicts with Special Condition 1 and does not include any newly discovered material information. The staff report adds that the May 9, 2025 permit explicitly granted a final pyrotechnic show for 2025 and required that fireworks be eliminated from 2026 through 2029 in favor of a drone alternative. In its written recommendation, the California Coastal Commission urges the commission to uphold the rejection.
Morris gears up for appeal, brings political backup
Morris is not going quietly. "I believe I'm in the right, so I'm always going to fight," he said, and he plans to arrive at the commission hearing with letters of support from Rep. Robert Garcia, state Sen. Lena Gonzalez and Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal. He has argued that swapping fireworks for a drone show would cost more and would likely draw smaller crowds, which could shrink donations that Big Bang has funneled to charity. According to the Long Beach Post, Morris’s events have raised roughly $1.7 million for local nonprofits since 2011.
Drone rules and safety headaches
Staff says the Long Beach Fire Department has made clear that drone shows in the city must only fly vertically, operate within a secured perimeter, avoid any flight paths and not fly over people. According to the staff report, Morris has not submitted a drone proposal that satisfies those requirements. The document also flags police staffing and fire-lane access constraints and concludes that the applicant did not provide material new evidence to justify keeping fireworks in 2026, a point reiterated in the California Coastal Commission staff analysis.
Birds, tradition and big money on the line
Officials have cited studies and on-the-ground observations indicating that fireworks can disturb nesting herons and egrets, trigger nest abandonment and leave debris in nearby coastal waters. Those environmental concerns were central to the conditions written into the May 2025 permit. At the same time, Big Bang’s role as a neighborhood tradition and fundraising machine has fueled a tug-of-war between Morris, his local backers and state regulators. That broader debate over fireworks, drones and coastal wildlife has played out in several communities, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Legal backdrop still looms over Alamitos Bay
The Coastal Commission’s caution is rooted in years of scrutiny and litigation alleging that fireworks debris polluted Alamitos Bay. Court filings and public case summaries outline the legal claims that helped push regulators toward a closer look at pyrotechnic displays over the water, and those disputes continue to color how commissioners approach new permits and amendments.
Wednesday’s vote could rewrite the July 3 playbook
The full commission is scheduled to hear Morris’s appeal at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, then vote on whether to overturn the Executive Director’s rejection. If commissioners side with staff, fireworks would be off the table for the 2026 Big Bang, and organizers would have to pivot to a drone show or come up with an entirely new concept. The Long Beach Post is providing local coverage along with a link to the live-stream of the hearing.
Neighbors, waterfront businesses and the nonprofits that depend on Big Bang’s fundraising haul will be watching closely. Whatever the commissioners decide, the ruling is likely to influence how coastal celebrations are permitted up and down the shoreline. This story will be updated after the Coastal Commission takes action at the April 15 hearing.
