Fireworks by Grucci is the Long Island outfit that turned the night sky into a family business plan and then exported it worldwide. What began with one Italian apprentice became a sixth-generation enterprise that’s set world records, dazzled presidents, trained soldiers, and rebuilt after tragedy. Here’s the full, spark-by-spark story.
Roots, Rebrands, and a Very Long Fuse For Fireworks by Grucci
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The family’s pyrotechnic line traces to 1850s Bari, Italy, where Angelo Lanzetta learned the craft and later emigrated to New York around 1870.
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On Long Island, Felix Grucci Sr. transformed those skills into a modern company, originally known as Suffolk Novelty Fireworks and later New York Pyrotechnic Products, before the designer-style rebrand to Fireworks by Grucci in 1984.
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Headquarters: Brookhaven/Bellport on Long Island; large manufacturing and government-work facility in Radford, Virginia on a 1,500-acre site.
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It remains family-run, now in its fifth and sixth generations.
Innovations That Changed the Show
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The stringless shell reduced burning fallout and improved safety, one of several technical upgrades credited to the family.
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Early adoption of computerized firing replaced hand-lit fuses with precise electronic timing.
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Mortar tubes evolved from cardboard to fiberglass and steel to better contain misfires.
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Signature effects include the split comet shell (a golden tail that splits into three smaller comets) and large-scale ground set pieces, Elvis with a guitar, JFK’s portrait, racehorses at full gallop, and custom corporate logos.
Grucci is America’s First Family of Fireworks
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The breakthrough came in 1979 when Fireworks by Grucci became the first U.S. team to win the Monte Carlo International Fireworks Competition, earning the industry’s top honor and the press nickname they still carry.
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Notable showcases since:
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Seven consecutive U.S. presidential inaugurations (1981–2005) beginning with Ronald Reagan.
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New York milestones: Brooklyn Bridge Centennial (1983) and the Statue of Liberty Centennial (1986).
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Olympic Games: Lake Placid, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Athens, and more.
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World’s Fairs: Knoxville, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Taejon (Korea).
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Dubai New Year’s Eve 2013/2014: a Guinness record with 479,651 shells in six minutes.
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Federal events in Washington, including Salute to America programs in 2019 and 2020, plus the 2020 Republican National Convention.
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Coast-to-coast shows ranging from Florida to Hawaii and yes, plenty here at home.
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When the Pentagon Needed a Mushroom Cloud
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Beginning in the Cold War era, the U.S. military asked the Gruccis to simulate atomic-blast visuals and acoustics, a towering smoke column, a concussive boom. without radioactive danger.
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The family has since supplied non-lethal training munitions (grenade, mortar, and booby-trap simulators) that match combat sound, flash, and smoke at a fraction of the risk and cost.
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That defense line now represents a major slice of company revenue and is produced at the Radford facility.
Tragedy, Recovery, and a Fortified New Home
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On November 26, 1983, an explosion at the Bellport compound tragically killed two family members (including Jimmy Grucci) and damaged about 100 nearby homes.
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The business lost its factory, inventory, and credit line, yet fulfilled New Year’s Eve shows from a family garage with help from suppliers and staff.
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The family relocated operations to a secluded, purpose-built Brookhaven site with barbed-wire perimeters, concrete bunkers, sand berms, copper static-discharge plates, and strict staffing caps per building.
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A savvy direct-mail campaign demonstrated overwhelming local support to town officials, helping secure the move and keep the company on Long Island.
Records, Scale, and the Business of “Wow”
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Multiple Guinness World Records, including:
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Largest fireworks display (Dubai, 2014).
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Largest pyrotechnic image: a 600-by-900-foot U.S. flag over Fort McHenry (2014).
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Largest aerial shell: a 2,397-lb, 60-inch giant that burst over 3,700 feet high (UAE, 2018).
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Largest display across multiple cities: 962,168 devices in 58 locations for Saudi National Day (2018), including a sky-painted national flag using Pixelburst-style sequencing and drone outlining.
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Typical municipal shows run around a half hour; large productions can cost $50,000–$100,000+.
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Peak cadence: dozens of shows on July 4th weekend; nationally and internationally the company mounts hundreds of performances each year.
Family Kitchen, Control Room Vibes
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The operations hub famously doubled as a family kitchen where budgets, cues, and music playlists were hashed out over lunch; roles included Donna Grucci Butler (finance and media), Felix Jr. (president and troubleshooter), Philip “Philly” Grucci (operations and computerization), and Phil Butler (marketing).
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At showtime, one operator in a bunker can trigger thousands of precisely timed effects while the rest of the family finally gets to watch.
Where the Sky Meets the Spreadsheet
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The Gruccis expanded beyond holidays with corporate tours, think national detergent campaigns complete with a ring-in-the-sky gag, and have collaborated with brands like Coca-Cola and Lever Brothers.
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After 9/11 muted celebrations, the company’s diversification into defense work stabilized year-round revenue while keeping core fireworks R&D moving forward.
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Industry peers and trade groups have repeatedly called Fireworks by Grucci one of the nation’s premier pyrotechnics firms.
Grucci is Still Long Island, Still Family
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Today Phil Grucci leads the company into its sixth generation, with hundreds of employees and part-time pyrotechnicians around the world.
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Recent pop-culture moment: “House of Grucci,” an ABC News Studios documentary on Hulu, tracks the family’s highs, lows, and preparations for a massive Middle East spectacle.
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Whether it’s the White House, a town beach, or a desert skyline, the brand promise hasn’t changed: the name on the crate is the name on the family.
Fast Facts About Grucci
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Founded: 1850 (family craft), modern LI business established under Felix Grucci Sr.
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Long Island base: Brookhaven/Bellport; additional plant: Radford, Virginia.
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Competition cred: 1979 Monte Carlo champions.
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Centennial classics: Brooklyn Bridge (1983), Statue of Liberty (1986).
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Presidential work: Seven straight inaugurations, 1981–2005, plus major federal events in 2019–2020.
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Guinness feats: Largest display, largest pyrotechnic image, largest aerial shell, largest multi-city display.
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Defense work: Non-lethal military simulators for training realism.
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Safety build-out: Bunkers, berms, copper grounding, limited staffing per building.
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Yes, they’ve done Florida and Hawaii and practically everywhere in between.
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Also on the résumé: a Staten Island bash for a film producer’s post-prison party with… colorful guest lists.
Why It Matters Here
Long Island didn’t just watch the great fireworks shows, we built them. Fireworks by Grucci is a hometown company that turned craft into culture, then into records the rest of the world tries to catch. When the sky goes bright, odds are a Long Island family put it there.
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Photo by Designecologist.
