Historians say Thomas Jefferson was the first president to host a fireworks display at the Presidential Mansion in 1801 (before the White House was built). Independence Day celebrations continued in Washington, D.C., despite mayoral bans which were largely ignored. In the 1920s, city officials chose to use the Washington Monument grounds to host their own fireworks display which they felt would be safer than those of private individuals. The tradition lives on with the National Parks Service hosting one of the largest displays in the country on the National Mall.

The display requires a crew of 10 working six days in advance to string 150 miles of wire to connect the fireworks to six separate electronic firing boards set up on either side of the Reflecting Pool. At precisely 9:10 pm on July 4th, pyro-technicians begin the 20-minute show, launching more than seven tons of explosives for a total of 2,600 aerial bombs, some of which contain as many as 30 individual firecrackers per shell. The show typically includes color-changing chrysanthemums, variegated peonies, kamuros with glittering tails, long-burning dahlias, whistles, tourbillions, crossettes, and pattern shells to create stars, hearts, and smiley faces. The show is accompanied by a National Symphony Orchestra concert on the lawn of the Capitol Building.