We are excited about the return of the fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday, July 3, 2026.  The State of South Dakota is partnering with the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service on this signature America 250 event.

As it was in 2020, the July 3rd event is a ticketed event. The public ticket lottery, hosted by Recreation.gov, will be live and accepting applicants from April 8-12, 2026. Lottery details, application information and FAQs will be available on the National Park Service website.

Only lottery ticket winners will be admitted to the event on July 3rd. Tickets are non-transferable. The park will close to the general public on the evening of July 2nd.

It will be important to note to visitors: Mount Rushmore National Memorial will resume regular hours on July 4th with Independence Day programming open to all visitors.

We encourage you to reference the full press release from the Department of the Interior regarding the ticket lottery process.

Important Links

Ticket Lottery webpage:  Mount Rushmore Fireworks lottery details hosted by Recreation.gov

• lottery application window: April 8-12, 2026

Ticket Lottery details and FAQs:  NPS.gov/MoRu 

Travel South Dakota webpage: TravelSouthDakota.com/Mount-Rushmore-Fireworks 

U.S. Department of Interior webpage: DOI.gov/Freedom250

America 250 website:  America250.org 

South Dakota America 250 website:  Americas250th.sd.gov