Big Bang Boom

Big Bang Boom is Norfolk’s Independence Day celebration at Skyview Lake, held over July 3rd and 4th, and one of the largest such events in northeast Nebraska. It started in 1976 as a fifteen hundred dollar fireworks display and is now run by a volunteer committee of about forty people; the 2026 edition was the 50th, falling in the same year as the country’s 250th, and the fireworks budget was doubled for it. The two days carry a Wingfest grill competition, a Show N Shine classic car event, live music, a disc golf tournament, kayak rentals on the lake, an inflatable midway, food vendors and a LifeNet helicopter on display. The fireworks start at 9:45 choreographed to music simulcast across four local radio stations. A 122-foot flagpole honouring veterans was installed for the 50th.