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Attendance at New Canaan’s annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration at Waveny Park fell dramatically from last year, with town officials estimating only 2,000 to 3,000 people attended the event, according to Parks & Recreation Commission member David Shea.
Speaking during the commission’s July 8 meeting at Lapham Center, Shea said unofficial attendance figures were far below the nearly 8,000 people who attended the 2025 celebration.
“The unofficial attendance was really down from 2025,” Shea said. “The estimates that we have from parking cars, somewhere between 2,000 to 3,000, which is really well off the almost 8,000 of 2025.”
Shea attributed the decline to both the extreme heat and forecasts calling for possible severe weather.
“That was because of the heat and probably because of the weather forecast,” he said. “Field parking was still available at 7:30, which is really rare.”
The lower turnout came before a fast-moving thunderstorm forced officials to end the event early Saturday evening as thousands of attendees left Waveny Park.
Shea’s comments came during an update on the Family Fourth celebration to the appointed body.
At the Board of Selectmen’s meeting earlier this week, First Selectman Dionna Carlson addressed the town’s decision to move forward with the fireworks, saying forecasts Friday afternoon showed only a low chance of thunderstorms when the final decision had to be made.
The fireworks arrived at Waveny at 8 a.m. Saturday, and crews began setting up. By about 3:30 p.m., weather forecasts indicated the probability of storms was increasing. Carlson said she spoke with Parks & Recreation officials at 5 p.m., and the town decided to move the fireworks display earlier than originally scheduled. A text alert notifying residents of the change was sent to subscribers.
As conditions deteriorated, emergency officials monitored the approaching storm.
“When we noticed that the storm was about eight miles out, we made the call. Everybody needs to get to their cars,” Carlson said.
Police, fire and EMS personnel were already on site. The New Canaan Fire Department responded to approximately 20 calls that evening, compared with its typical average of about three calls per day. Despite the severe weather, no injuries were reported.
“We’re all really blessed that no one was injured,” Carlson said.