Raleigh fireworks canceled: Thousands disoriented after July 4th show cut short by rain at Dix Park

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — People were left baffled Thursday night after the Fourth of July fireworks celebration in Raleigh suddenly stopped when the crowd was asked to evacuate.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., the time the fireworks were scheduled to begin, an announcement from the event’s DJ informed the crowd that the fireworks show was canceled due to rain and that everyone in the park should go home.

DJ Rickey Smith said it was stage management who came to him Thursday night and told him to clear the stage because of lightning.

“When I know my system is going to be shut down, I have about 10 seconds to decide what to say and that’s the hardest part. So I reiterated what I was told. Evacuate the area in a calm and orderly manner,” Smith said.

While city officials have yet to elaborate on the timeline or process for the decisions that were made, Smith said at no time was he informed that the fireworks show had been canceled.

“My understanding is that it wasn’t the entire park. It was just the area, which is open to interpretation. Some people consider the area to be right in front of the stage. A lot of people consider the area to be the entire park,” he continued.

Smith said he spoke with a city representative this morning, but did not share the context of the conversation. Smith said the situation Thursday night was difficult. “I completely understand the confusion that’s out there and I apologize to anyone who may have been confused.”

The city released a statement Friday morning via its social media channels.

Jaden Tapia and his mother Stephanie traveled from Fayetteville to Raleigh to see the fireworks. She said her mother was in town to visit her for the holidays.

“That’s what I’m from California…she planned this whole thing and this is what happened,” Tapia said.

Rain fell on Raleigh shortly after 9 p.m., forcing the city to delay the fireworks display.

But then, without warning, the fireworks began to be fired shortly before 9:45 p.m. The fireworks display lasted several minutes, but was not as long as planned for the original show.

The City of Raleigh confirmed to ABC11 at 10:30 p.m. that the abbreviated fireworks show would be the only fireworks show approved by the city this year.

Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin sent the following statement to ABC11 at 11:05 p.m.:

“The July 4th fireworks show was not the spectacular show we had planned. We were delayed due to rain and the threat of thunderstorms. As a precaution, we suspended the show. When the rain subsided and the lightning was no longer a threat, we decided to continue. Technical difficulties cut the show short. The fireworks will not be rescheduled, but we thank everyone who came out to celebrate the 4th of July.”

The city of Raleigh’s initial contingency plans for what to do if weather conditions caused problems at the event were to postpone the entire fireworks show until July 5, when it would air as a special on ABC11 without an in-person audience at Dix Park.

During the confusion caused by the Dix Park evacuation, the only line of communication about the status of the show came from the park’s loudspeakers. Neither decision mentioned in Baldwin’s statement (whether to stop or resume the show) was communicated to ABC11 until more than an hour after the event.

Put a smile on

Families like Tasha Smith and her daughter, Monique, tried to keep a positive outlook on the evening’s events.

“Yeah, it’s wonderful, I’ve been looking forward to it, I’ve been trying to plan for it,” she said. “I wanted to come with my 5-year-old to do something… it was a nice event where we could lay our blankets down, relax and spend time as a family.”

The same goes for Alan Caille, his wife and their 14-month-old daughter, who all moved from Massachusetts to North Carolina last week.

“This is the best country there is… look what I have because of this country,” Caille said.

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