Fireworks to Return to Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota in 2026

When the United States of America celebrates its 250th birthday next year, South Dakota's best known landmark will be included in the party.

Governor Larry Rhoden has confirmed that the state has reached an agreement with the federal government to host a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore National Memorial for the 250th festivities in July 2026.

Permission for the fireworks display at the monument was with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who oversees the National Park Service, which operates Mount Rushmore.

The 2026 display will be just the second at the monument in the last 17 years.

The National Park Service began allowing fireworks at Mount Rushmore in 1998 but ended them following the 2009 display after reports of debris from the exploded fireworks at the monument was polluting the area’s water supply. There were also a number of small fires around the monument started by falling firework embers.

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The ban on fireworks at Mount Rushmore was lifted once since 2009, when then-Governor Kristi Noem arranged with the Interior Department to reinstate the display for one year in 2020. That July, President Donald Trump attended the fireworks show in the Black Hills.

Governor Rhoden has formally invited President Trump to attend the 2026 celebration.

State of South Dakota

20 Things You'll Find In Every South Dakota Home

We have so many things in our homes. Some things are junk or half-used but others have great sentimental value to us.

Regardless of what an item means to us at the end of the day, I bet that most South Dakotans have these twenty items in their home; or at least most of us do.

20 Things You'll Find In Every South Dakota Home

We have so many things in our homes. Some things are junk or half-used but others have great sentimental value to us.

Regardless of what an item means to us at the end of the day, I bet that most South Dakotans have these twenty items in their home; or at least most of us do.

From Blockbusters to Hidden Gems: 35 Movies That Take Place in South Dakota

When it comes to South Dakota and Hollywood, we've seen our fair share of films that have used our state as the backdrop for a number of productions over the years. They may not have always filmed here, but movie folk love to set stories here.

We're all familiar with the blockbusters like 1990's Dances With Wolves, 1959's North By Northwest, and more recently, 2007's National Treasure: Book of Secrets. But our state's life on the big screen goes back nearly 100 years.

According to IMDb, it all started with Courtin' Wildcats, a 1929 film which, like so many of the 29 films on this list, is a Western set in the time before South Dakota became a state in 1889.

Gallery Credit: Jeff Harkness/B1027.com

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