River closures for D.C.'s massive fireworks show may sink July 4 boating business
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This year's expanded fireworks show could shut out kayakers and boaters, like it did in 2017. Photo: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
D.C.'s big July 4 fireworks boom this year could be a bust for boaters, who are bracing for unprecedented waterway closures tied to the nation's 250th birthday celebration.
The big picture: Trump allies want to set a world record for the biggest fireworks show, breaking from D.C. tradition with a later start time (9:40pm), running twice as long (40 minutes) and featuring fireworks launchpads on the Potomac River.
- While an official closure map or timeline has yet to be released, riverboat operators say the uncertainty itself is creating problems.
- Early planning documents obtained by Axios show the fireworks launching from eight barges on the Potomac, starting from just off West Potomac Park and as far north as between Memorial and Roosevelt bridges.
Why it matters: "Having the river closed for July 4 is the boat-world equivalent of Tysons being closed on Black Friday," Sea Suite Cruises founder Jack Maher tells Axios.
- The closures could mean tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue for river-based businesses, and they could disrupt a cherished July 4 tradition for thousands of D.C.-area boaters, kayakers and paddlers.
- Maher estimates 1,500 boats typically gather near Memorial Bridge to watch the fireworks.
- "It's the Super Bowl of our summer," he says.
By the numbers: Over 50 trucks will bring in 860,754 fireworks, according to Pennsylvania-based vendor Pyrotecnico, which promises "not only a once-in-a-generation patriotic spectacle but a landmark moment in fireworks history."
- The supersized show, expected to feature President Trump, has led the Secret Service to designate the Fourth of July a national security event for the first time in D.C. history.
- Fireworks viewing will be trickier on the National Mall, with enhanced precautions and the Great America State Fair and FIFA World Cup fan zone taking up room.
Zoom in: Sea Suite Cruises and other boating companies tell Axios officials have indicated that closures could affect Georgetown and stretches of the river near the 14th Street, Memorial and Roosevelt bridges.
- Maher says Sea Suite Cruises is moving its Georgetown-based fleet to Navy Yard as a precaution.
- "It's frustrating — there hasn't been a lot of transparency," Maher says.
- Maher's fleet can work around the expected restrictions, but many operators may not be so lucky.
The timing matters because many customers book July 4 boat trips months in advance, making last-minute changes difficult.
- City Cruises tells Axios it'll update its website in the weeks ahead with any "modifications to our usual routes."
Meanwhile, D.C.'s paddling community could also be hit.
- Representatives for Adventures Unbound, which operates a big network of boathouses, say they're getting mixed messages about the scope of the closures.
- Thompson Boat Center, near the Kennedy Center, is expected to be affected, though questions remain about impacts near Key Bridge.
- Adventures Unbound estimates it could lose more than $50,000 if river closures force cancellations of rentals and its popular fireworks paddle events.
"It's making planning very difficult," Adventures Unbound's CJ Brenner tells Axios. "National Park Service believes Thompson Boat Center will be impacted, but they still don't know when the river closures will begin or how long they'll last."