OK, we know everyone and their brother has been reminding you, but we’ll say it one more time: Â fireworks of all kinds are illegal for private use in Los Angeles (and, yes, this includes sparklers). Â If you can’t buy it at a mainstream store like your local Ralphs (and they do have things like party poppers, which make a little noise), you are officially not allowed to have or use it within the city limits. (And if your neighbors’ overly-exuberant explosions worry or bother you, please report the activity to LAPD at 1-877-ASK-LAPD).
Now, that said, there are opportunities to view some terrific professional fireworks displays tonight, both within the city limits and elsewhere in the general L.A. metro area.  For pretty exhaustive lists, see some of the big events-related websites like LAist, TimeOutLA, Thrillist, and WeLikeLA.
Among the displays closest to our general mid-Los Angeles area are:
Culver City/West LA College
Dodger Stadium (after game with Arizona Diamondbacks)
Exposition Park/L.A. Memorial Coliseum Fourth of July Celebration
Grand Park 4th of July Block Party (downtown)
Hollywood Bowl (after a Pentatonix concert)
Hollywood Forever (after a screening of the original Jurassic Park movie)
Studio City Fourth of July VIP Party
The nice thing about fireworks, though, is that they go up high enough to see even if you’re not right at the event venue. And sometimes, if you can get a clear view above the local treeline, you can enjoy them almost as well (or even better if you have young children and/or pets who don’t like the noise) from a slightly remote distance. Â One of the best close-but-not-too-close options for our neighborhood is always the annual fireworks display at the Wilshire Country Club, which can be seen (barring line-of-sight obstructions) for at least a mile in all directions. Â So if you don’t want to brave the crowds and noise at one of the official fireworks venues, find a good second or third-story (or higher) window, deck or roof, and just kick back and relax…you will probably be able to see at least one of the displays above – if not parts of many or all of them – from your very own home.
