Fireworks are quite exciting and are traditional parts of celebrations everywhere in the world. From New Years’ Eve celebrations to Diwali to fourth of July. Displays of beautiful colors and dissolving patterns evoke (for many) a celebratory atmosphere. These colors do not come without pollution and noise! In the US, we just celebrated our 250th anniversary – with thousands of fireworks displays across the country. The noise that comes along with celebrations like this is especially problematic when they occur during migration or the breeding season for wildlife. The 2026 National Fireworks Celebration lasted for 40 minutes and deployed 850,000 shells at 354 explosions per second. What was the cost?