Few municipalities plan traditional fireworks on Fourth of July this year

Like many other holiday traditions in 2020, Fourth of July celebrations hang in the balance, despite quickly approaching on the calendar.

Many longstanding festivities in metro Atlanta will definitely not take place this year because of the corona- virus pandemic. And oth- ers, like the Fourth of July Celebration at Centennial Olympic Park, have yet to be announced.

One thing is clear: If you’re looking to see fireworks in metro Atlanta for the Fourth, your options are not going to be as abundant as in years past.

Marietta, Powder Springs, Kennesaw, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Suwanee and Lilburn can all be counted among the Georgia cities that will not hold their Independence Day celebrations.

However, there are a few places where the show will go on.

Woodstock will alter its cel- ebrations, but will still have fireworks at dusk, according to a Facebook post. “We strongly encourage those who gather in the area of Woodstock Square for the show to be responsible and follow CDC guidelines,” city manager Jeff Moon said.

Traffic plans for the event will be shared on the city’s social media channels.

East Point will also alter its festivities this year. The city has partnered with a software company to bring attendees a free virtual fireworks show using the app total AR.

“Simply download this free app on your smartphone or tablet and on July 4th between 9 p.m.-midnight, hold the device at face-level while pointing it towards the sky to witness a stunning fireworks show using augmented reality,” according to the city’s website. The show will last 10-12 minutes.

In Cumming, celebrations will be held at the fairgrounds. According to a Face- book event post, the fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m.

If you do head out to Fourth of July celebrations of any kind, be sure to keep your distance and wear a mask in places where social distancing is hard to achieve.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers some caution- ary words on public gather- ings. ”The more people an individual interacts with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the potential risk of becom- ing infected with COVID-19 and COVID-19 spreading,” according to the CDC.

If you instead decide to stay home and stage a fire- works show of your own, you might need to check to see what your community rules are before you light any fuses.

While Georgia cities cannot ban the use of fireworks, they can specify hours, regulate where fireworks are sold through zoning and enact taxes on sales of fireworks.