Private Fireworks Shows for the Fourth of July in Malibu

BY ANNE SOBLE

Every year, starting around June 30 through July 3, the telephone calls and emails come to the Malibu Surfside News offices inquiring, “Where are the offshore fireworks shows going to take place?”
Privately sponsored pyrotechnic displays are an integral part of the way the Fourth of July is celebrated in Malibu.
The city has announced that firework detonation permits have been issued for two private displays on Saturday, July 4.
Both of the 9 p.m. displays will be launched from offshore barges that are usually towed into place earlier in the day. One is set for the Malibu Colony area, the other for the 27900 block of Pacific Coast Highway.
Municipal officials also remind residents and visitors that fireworks are illegal everywhere within city borders. They are also outlawed by Los Angeles County in all of unincorporated Malibu.
Even the so-called “safe and sane” fireworks, which most fire department and law enforcement officials say are neither safe, nor sane, are outlawed in both jurisdictions.
Given the lack of recent rainfall and the current high fire danger everywhere in the Malibu area, illegal fireworks will be confiscated and those possessing them will face legal consequences.
Happy Fourth of July to all.