ORLANDO, Fla. – The 4th of July fireworks show at Orlando’s Lake Eola Park is the latest victim of the novel coronavirus.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said Tuesday afternoon he has made the decision to cancel this year’s Fireworks at the Fountain.
"Based on everything that's been happening with COVID-19, the City of Orlando in conjunction with our partner News 6 has decided to hold a virtual fireworks at the fountain this year rather than the real thing," Dyer said. "It's a pretty easy decision really, I can't imagine the CDC guidelines would suggest that we had a gathering of 120 to 150,000 people to watch fireworks in July, which is only about 60 days away I suppose."
Every year, News 6 and ClickOrlando.com broadcasts the fireworks show live. This July 4th, News 6 will present a pre-recorded compilation of the brightest and biggest fireworks from the past several years at Lake Eola.
Before the fireworks show, News 6 will honor our heroes.
"I want to look on the bright side and we're working with News 6 and produce a great show that everyone can tune into and celebrate our veterans and those who gave our lives to make this country what it is today and our First Responders and our Healthcare professionals who been working so hard over the last few months," Dyer said.
Dyer said all vendors and pyrotechnic contracts will be cancelled.
"That's why we're announcing this early because there are a lot of vendors that are under contract or preparing to provide whatever service whether it's the pyrotechnics or other things and different operations," Dyer said. "So we want to let them know far enough in advance that they're not gearing up to provide whatever it was they were going to provide for the show."
Dyer said there’s still plenty to celebrate, just not at Lake Eola.
"Maybe this year we celebrate how well we did at staying at home and social distancing and wearing our masks and washing our hands," Dyer said. "We did a really good job in controlling the virus and we need to continue on that path as we're in this Phase 1 of reopening our businesses."
To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter or go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.