Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fourth of July 2025: Where to see fireworks in the Inland Northwest and how to stay safe

Independence Day is here, meaning parades, hot dogs and, of course, fireworks are in your near future.

But be careful – pyrotechnics aren’t to be messed with. If you’re curious as to how and where you can celebrate with fireworks in the Inland Northwest, here are the rules and revelries for July Fourth that you need to know.

Firework safety

All individual consumer fireworks, including sparklers, are illegal in the cities of Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Millwood, Cheney and unincorporated areas in Spokane County.

This ban has been in effect for 33 years, and the Spokane Fire Department has the data to back its impacts.

In the 10 years prior to the ban, they responded to an average of 104 fireworks-caused fires each year between June 28 and July 6. Since the ban was enacted, that number has dropped down to five. Fireworks-caused injuries also fell from an average of 29 to fewer than five.

The Inland Northwest’s hot climate and dry vegetation make the fiery festivities of Independence Day a high risk for residents.

“Those grasses are really primed for fire to start and move quickly,” Spokane Fire Department Community Risk Reduction Manager Jamie McIntyre said.

Fire marshals from Spokane Valley, the City of Spokane, Spokane County, the City of Cheney, the City of Airway Heights and the city of Deer Park all have enacted a Fire Danger Burn Restriction since Monday.

A sign warning the public about shooting off fireworks is seen outside Spokane Valley Fire Department Station 9, 12121 E. 32nd Ave., on June 23, 2025.  (Jonathan Brunt/The Spokesman-Review)
A sign warning the public about shooting off fireworks is seen outside Spokane Valley Fire Department Station 9, 12121 E. 32nd Ave., on June 23, 2025. (Jonathan Brunt/The Spokesman-Review)

The restriction lasts until the foreseeable future and prohibits all recreational fire and open burning. Portable outdoor devices such as fireplaces and barbecues are excluded from the ban and thus allowed, while approved fuels, like firewood, charcoal, natural gas and propane gas, in “appropriate devices” also are OK.

In Deer Park, Airway Heights and Medical Lake, individual fireworks are permitted under certain circumstances.

Deer Park codes permit the discharge of consumer fireworks only on July Fourth from noon to midnight, only on private land. Fireworks can be purchased within the city only from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

Airway Heights limits the sales of fireworks from Wednesday at 8 a.m. to Friday at 8 p.m. Consumer fireworks can be used on private land only Friday from 8 a.m. to midnight.

Although Medical Lake installed a ban on fireworks last year as it was still recovering from the Gray fire, this year it’s lifted. Fireworks are sold within the city from 9 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. on Independence Day. Common fireworks can only be discharged in the city from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday.

Fireworks are on sale in Idaho from now until midnight Saturday.

In Idaho, “safe and sane” fireworks, meaning those that stay near the ground and don’t travel outside of a 20-foot diameter, can be set off in areas away from vegetation and public property. Although you can purchase aerial fireworks in Idaho, it’s illegal to shoot them off in the state.

If you’re looking to get rid of unwanted fireworks, the Spokane Fire Department can’t accept them. Instead, bring fireworks to the Waste-to-Energy Plant, 2900 S. Geiger Blvd., for free disposal.

Until Sunday, you can report nuisance fireworks online at Spokane911.com or call it in to Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

Spokane Regional Emergency Communications recommends calling 911 if you see smoke from fire at a location, fireworks being aimed or shot at people, people who need medical attention or people setting off fireworks in a dry field.

“Within the city of Spokane, if you light it, it’s considered illegal,” McIntyre said. “We are recommending that everybody stick with the professional displays that are available in our region at no cost.”

Firework celebrations

There are plenty of festivities to catch if you’re looking for July Fourth fun in the Inland Northwest.

Riverfront Park is hosting its annual Fourth of July celebration starting at noon. The band Atari Ferrari plays at 6:30 p.m., and MasterClass Big Band plays at 8 p.m. The celebration culminates with a fireworks display at the Lilac Bowl at 10 .

The Spokane Indians’ game against the Tri-City Dust Devils at Avista Stadium will finish with a fireworks display as well.

In Liberty Lake, the Fourth of July Concert with “No. 1 Americana Party band” Nu Jack City kicks off at 7 p.m. at Pavillion Park.

For a more modern celebration, Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights will be throwing a drone and fireworks show. Doors open at 4 p.m., and the show commences at 10 .

Coeur d’Alene is hosting its American Heroes Parade on July Fourth from 15th Street to Government Way at 10 a.m., followed by a festival in City Park that concludes with a fireworks show at dusk. This year’s parade will honor the two battalion chiefs shot and killed in the line of duty in the city on Sunday, according to KXLY.

If you’d like to celebrate a completely different holiday, the City of Medical Lake is hosting a Christmas in July at the Market on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jefferson and Lake Streets, complete with Santa and Mrs. Claus.