REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Staff Request for City Council Direction on the 250th Anniversary Fourth of July Community Celebration
Report
BACKGROUND
Historically, the City of Santa Clara has sponsored an All-City Picnic and Fireworks Extravaganza at Central Park on the Fourth of July. Due to budget constraints in FY 2021/22, the City eliminated the fireworks component of the Fourth of July celebration. In 2022 and 2023, the City offered a Fourth of July All-City Picnic at Central Park, featuring activities, food trucks, and family-friendly entertainment.
In 2024, the City sought to include fireworks as part of the Independence Day community celebration. Due to construction and safety concerns at Central Park, the July 4th event was relocated to Mission College. Because similar site conditions persisted at Central Park, the event was again held at Mission College in 2025. The partnership with Mission College provided use of campus facilities and available staffing, free public parking, access to event facilities, and campus security. In addition, the Mission College location enabled a partnership with Great America to share fireworks costs and deliver an enhanced fireworks display for the benefit of the community.
In 2025, the City Council expressed interest in returning the event to Central Park in 2026. Pursuant to City Council direction provided in December 2025, staff conducted a community survey to gather feedback on past experiences and future preferences for the Fourth of July celebration. The survey was open from January 12 through January 21, 2026, and received 424 responses, which equates to more than 21 hours of public comment. Staff promoted the survey by distributing flyers to residents adjacent to Central Park and posting the survey on City communication and social media channels. The survey results are included as Attachment 1 to this report.
DISCUSSION
Survey results (Attachment 1), together with feedback from the City Council, indica...
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