CINCINNATI, OH — The American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) is taking its annual convention back to the Midwest. Fresh off its 78th Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando, the association has confirmed that next year’s gathering will run September 27 – October 1, 2027, at the Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel, marking a return to Ohio after more than a decade.

The announcement, published on the association’s website alongside the recap of this year’s Disney-area event, caps what the APA described as a landmark convention year tied to the fireworks industry’s buildup to America’s 250th birthday in 2026. The Orlando event, held September 28 through October 2 at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, drew members, industry partners, public-safety professionals, and their families — including, the association noted, a special visit from Mickey Mouse.

A Landmark Year Sets the Stage

The 2026 convention carried unusual weight. It followed a twelve-month stretch in which the U.S. fireworks industry navigated a compressed post-pandemic demand cycle, the supply-chain ripple effects of the Liuyang factory explosion, and ongoing tariff and compliance headwinds that trade groups like the APA and the National Fireworks Association have spent much of the year lobbying to ease. Industry leaders used the Orlando sessions to review lessons from the 250th-anniversary selling season and begin mapping inventory and permitting strategies for 2027.

The choice of Cincinnati — a city with deep pyrotechnic roots and a central location within easy reach of Midwestern distributors and manufacturers — is widely read as a practical move to bring the convention closer to a major share of the consumer and display fireworks trade. The Netherland Plaza, a historic landmark hotel in the city’s downtown, has hosted large-scale industry events before and offers the kind of ballroom and meeting infrastructure an association of the APA’s size requires.

Why the Location Matters

Ohio has long been one of the busiest consumer fireworks markets in the country, and its proximity to major East Coast and Midwest supply corridors makes it a logistically convenient anchor for distributors, retailers, and importers. For manufacturers, including Liuyang-based producers such as Skysong Fireworks — which has operated from China since 2005 with CE and DOT certifications and ships to buyers in more than 30 countries — the convention remains a key venue for meeting U.S. distributors face-to-face and locking in orders for the following year’s selling season.

The move also signals a return to regional rotation for the industry’s flagship professional event. Recent conventions have favored resort destinations, but a Midwestern anchor city reflects the association’s broader effort to keep the event accessible to the independent stands, show operators, and local distributors that form the backbone of the consumer fireworks market.

What to Watch

The 2027 gathering will likely center on themes that dominated 2026’s advocacy agenda: permanent federal recognition for the industry, tariff and import-cost relief, and the rollout of newer compliance requirements such as the CPSC’s electronic filing program for imported consumer products. With the 250th-anniversary demand cycle now behind the industry, attention is expected to shift toward stabilizing the supply chain and rebuilding margin in a post-surge market.

Registration details and the 2027 program agenda are expected to be published through the APA’s official convention website in the months ahead.