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Photos: Spectacular 4th of July fireworks—illegal and otherwise—lit SF up

Love ’em or hate ’em, neighborhoods like the Mission are perennial hotspots for large-scale illegal fireworks displays.

An aerial drone video of illegal fireworks exploding over the Mission District of San Francisco on July 4, 2024. | Paul Kuroda for The Standard
Culture

Photos: Spectacular 4th of July fireworks—illegal and otherwise—lit SF up

Love ’em or hate ’em, neighborhoods like the Mission are perennial hotspots for large-scale illegal fireworks displays.

By Astrid Kane

San Francisco celebrated the independence of our troubled nation Thursday by blowing up small parts of it—over and over again. The usual fog partly obscured the spectacular, city-sanctioned displays over the Bay, while in residential neighborhoods like the Mission District that were spared the marine layer, people just lit ’em off in the streets until midnight or later. 

Several people gather at night, using smartphones to illuminate a man in a dark shirt and mask, who is holding a cylindrical object with a fuse.
People record a friend doing it for the ’Gram. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
A vivid firework display lights up the night sky with red and white streaks. People watch from a dark street, where cars and buildings are dimly visible amidst the smoke.
Onlookers watch fireworks exploding on a residential street. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
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Several people, centered around a church entrance, discharge fireworks among parked vehicles on a dimly lit street at night. Sparks light up their paths.
Illegal fireworks lit up the sidewalk in front of this Mission District storefront church.
| Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard

House parties and barbecues spilled into the streets, occasionally halting traffic at intersections like South Van Ness Avenue and 21st Street. There and elsewhere in the city, intrepid (or foolhardy) people scrambled away from honeycombed boxes of fountains and Roman candles that they’d just ignited with a cigarette lighter.

In a dimly lit street at night, fireworks burst and spark, lighting up the scene with bright trails and smoke in front of darkened buildings.
Although police dispersed crowds near Garfield Square, people kept coming back for more action. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
Two people are on a street corner at night, facing a police vehicle. One waves an object in the air while the other stands beside them holding a box.
A woman waves to a police vehicle circulating through Mission, a sign of the neighborhood's defiant attitude. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
Two people are setting up fireworks on the street at night. One person is crouching down placing a firework tube, while the other holds a flashlight and some bags.
Sometimes fireworks halted vehicular traffic, sometimes not. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard

Although not quite as polarizing as sideshows, fireworks certainly have their fans and detractors. Yes, they’re illegal and extremely dangerous (plus they set off car alarms and terrorize dogs, and some of us had to get up and go to work this morning). However, the threat of hefty fines and the occasional presence of San Francisco Police Department vehicles had little discernible effects beyond dispersing people for a few minutes at a time. 

It was America’s birthday, and the city went hard.

A night scene with fireworks shooting and illuminating the sky; a person kneels close to the sparks, surrounded by smoke, while onlookers watch from a distance.
A man ignites a firework while other fireworks explode around him near Garfield Square. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
A person in a beanie and mask is lighting a firecracker, which is sparking, at night.
Tempting fate, one person holds a bottle rock while another person lit it. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
A firework shoots up, sparkling against the night sky in an urban area, people and cars are nearby, with illuminated buildings in the background.
Occasionally, fireworks can clear an entire intersection. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
A nighttime scene with fireworks lighting up the sky, as people stand on a street capturing the display on their phones amidst parked cars and rising smoke.
A particularly big one went off on Harrison Street in the Mission. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
In a dimly lit scene, two people are standing close together, covering their ears. One has curly hair tied up and the other wears a black headwrap.
Yes, the booms can be surprisingly loud. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
A group of people stands outside at night, looking towards fireworks in the sky. One person in a hoodie holds a phone, possibly taking a picture, while others seem engaged and curious.
Onlookers point and record fireworks near Garfield Square. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
The image shows a nighttime cityscape with vibrant fireworks. Houses and streets are illuminated in the foreground, while a bustling city with bridges is in the background.
Scenes like this played out until well after midnight across the fog-free Mission and elsewhere. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
Two people hold large, lit fireworks sticks, creating a bright flare and smoke against the night sky. Others watch in the background, with trees and soft streetlights visible.
Intrepid—or foolhardy—young people shoot them off every which way. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
At night, a group of people gather outside a building while a bright flash and smoke from fireworks illuminate the scene; cones and debris lie on the street.
It may not have been a three-day weekend, but crowds gathered late into the evening all the same. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
The image shows fireworks exploding in the night sky above a street with houses, cars parked along the road, and people watching the display.
Year after year, the Mission remains a focal point for illegal fireworks displays. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
A nighttime scene shows a car driving through thick smoke in an intersection illuminated by a streetlamp. Fireworks or sparks are seen shooting upwards, while people stand nearby.
A car drives through a particularly smoky moment. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
A group of people stand on a city street at night, looking upwards at fireworks in the night sky. They are gathered near a building with bay windows, and the ground is littered with trash.
Onlookers gathered near Garfield Square in the Mission. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
A bright firework display ignites in the middle of a street at night, with sparks and smoke rising from it. A person stands nearby watching the spectacle.
Fountains can be particularly dramatic types of fireworks. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
The image depicts a nighttime street scene with multiple police officers and vehicles, orange traffic cones, and a group of people near a building.
Police officers made their presence felt, blocking the corner of 25th and Harrison Streets to vehicles. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
A street scene at night shows fireworks launching, with spectators watching, some recording on phones. The area is dimly lit with smoke, light, and scattered debris.
Teenagers react after setting off fireworks at the corner of Treat Avenue and 25th Street in the Mission. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
Two people are covering their ears while watching fireworks at night; the person in front is smiling and wearing a hoodie, and the person in the background is wearing a red cap.
Axel, Esparza, 15 covers his ears while watching illegal fireworks in the Mission District. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
A white sports car is drifting during a sideshow at night, creating a cloud of smoke. Blurry figures with illuminated phones watch and record the event from the street.
A car did donuts at the intersection of 26th Street and Treat Avenue in the Mission District. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard
A person holds a phone, capturing fireworks in the night sky. The scene is brightly lit with fireworks, while the background is filled with slightly blurred lights and people.
Pics, or it didn't happen. | Source: Aaron Levy-Wolins for The Standard

Astrid Kane can be reached at [email protected]

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CultureFireworksMission District