A look at this year's hottest fireworks in the Tulsa area

The Fourth of July is only a few days away, which means fireworks sales are starting to pick up. Before you buy, we visited Big Blast Fireworks to find out which fireworks stand out this season and how to get the most bang for your buck.

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Family-owned Fireworks

Big Blast Fireworks is a local, family-owned fireworks business founded in 1986. The owners work with nonprofits to help raise money for youth and church groups, ball teams, civic groups, and others.

In addition to its two indoor superstores, Big Blast has 8 stands and tent locations across the Tulsa metro that are open from June 26 to July 5. For hours and information, visit their website.

Impacts of Tariffs

Tariffs on imports from China are impacting the fireworks industry in the United States. While some got hit harder than others this season, Big Blast Fireworks managing partner Melissa Torkleson said everyone is feeling it in some way.

"If the locations got hit with a 10% tariff, there will be very minimal impact because those production costs do fluctuate from year to year," she said. "If they got hit with the 30% tariff, which we were fortunate not to, you could see a 15-20% increase."

Big Blast was able to avoid the highest tariff but it cost them a shipment of fireworks, raising concerns for next year. "Our third container is still hanging out in China," Torkleson continued saying, "This could have a trickle effect for 2026, but who knows what is going to happen yet. I feel like we are pretty resilient and we will bounce back."

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Best Bang for Your Buck

If you are shopping for big fireworks on a small budget, Torkleson suggests the bottom shelf at Big Blast Fireworks. "In those 250 gram items, you are going to find items that are all priced under $30. So, you can get ten items for under $100-$125 and put on a great show for the 4th of July," she added.

Customers should also take into account where they will be lighting their fireworks when deciding what to buy. "If the customer is in a neighborhood, they are going to want to stick with lower profile items like fountains and all the kids stuff," Torkleson continued, "If they have a little more space and more room, go for the big 500 grams that you light one time and just enjoy an awesome celebration display."

Fireworks Safety

Fireworks can be fun, but if not handled properly can also lead to injuries. Torkleson said all of the fireworks sold at Big Blast come with a warning label and instructions on them. "Fireworks are fire that works, so they are safe as long as you are using them as they are instructed," she said.

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One example Torkleson gave was Roman candles. "I think a lot of us are guilty of holding a Roman candle in our hand, but on the package it says do not hold in hand," she said. "So, customers need to read the package and be familiar with the safe way to fire their fireworks."

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