Select Board votes to stop using appropriated funds for fireworks, plans July 4 weekend concert/festival in 2026

The Acton Select Board voted on Dec. 15 to discontinue using appropriated town funds for fireworks and to direct staff and the Acton250 committee to plan a community celebration for the July 4 weekend in 2026 that will prioritize concerts and festival programming rather than pyrotechnics.

Board members raised environmental impacts, the large staff commitment required for a fireworks display and mutual‑aid constraints when many regional events occur on the same date. Some members supported running one more fireworks event for Acton’s 250th anniversary if the funding and staffing allowed; others argued it was time to move away from fireworks and plan an alternative community festival. The board resolved the debate by approving a motion to not use appropriated funds for fireworks and to pursue a concert/community festival on the July 4 weekend (the motion included flexibility to schedule the celebration on a Friday or Sunday to ease staffing and mutual‑aid pressures). The motion passed unanimously.

Town staff confirmed that no contract for fireworks in 2026 had been executed and that planning for concerts, vendors and entertainment would begin immediately. Board members suggested the Acton250 committee assist in designing a capstone event that could include historical elements such as a public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

What’s next: staff will begin vendor and entertainment planning for a July 4 weekend program in 2026 and coordinate with the Acton250 committee and town public‑safety staff to finalize dates that minimize mutual‑aid conflicts and staff burden.