A skateboarder performs a trick over a small fire on a city street at night while a crowd watches from the sidewalk.
A skateboarder jumping used fireworks in the Mission District on July 4, 2026. Photo by Taytum Wymer.

Throngs of revelers drinking Modelos and filming street fireworks dominated select corners of the Mission District on Saturday night for what has long been a July 4 tradition.

And like clockwork, heavily-clad police officers with riot gear and batons moved in to stop the shows — fireworks are illegal in San Francisco.

Here are photos of the night.

Fireworks shows took over 24th Street. Photo by Taytum Wymer.
A group of people stand on a city street at night, watching fireworks exploding in the sky above buildings and street signs.
Photo by Taytum Wymer.
A group of people stand on a street corner at night, some holding drinks and cigarettes, with smoke visible in the air and a red traffic signal in the background.
Sparklers and light beers were common. Photo by Taytum Wymer.
The crowds were concentrated on Harrison and Treat. Photo by Taytum Wymer.
A person stands in the street at night taking a photo or video of fireworks or smoke devices, with murals and parked cars visible in the background.
Photo by Taytum Wymer.
Photo by Taytum Wymer.
The occasional vehicle drove through crowded intersections, sometimes narrowly missing fireworks, sometimes not. Photo by Taytum Wymer.
A group of people stand outside at night near a boarded-up building with "Happy 4th" spray-painted in red on the wall. Some look up, and a few are holding drinks.
Photo by Taytum Wymer.
Fireworks explode in the night sky behind street signs for 24th St and Harrison St in the Latino Cultural District, next to a green traffic light.
Photo by Taytum Wymer.
Some climbed traffic lights for better views. Photo by Taytum Wymer.
A person wearing black sneakers and white socks sits on a traffic signal box above a street at night, with blurred city lights and buildings in the background.
Photo by Taytum Wymer.
Three people ride electric scooters on a city street at night, with parked cars and buildings visible in the background.
Teens zipped around on scooters, sometimes through active fireworks. Photo by Taytum Wymer.
At 10:45 p.m., the police started dispersing the crowds. Photo by Taytum Wymer.
Photo by Taytum Wymer.
A group of police officers in riot gear with batons walk down a street at night with flashing lights in the background.
Lines of officers advanced, clearing the intersections. Photo by Taytum Wymer.
Photo by Taytum Wymer.
By 11:30 p.m., the crowds had entirely thinned out, some stragglers here and there. Photo by Taytum Wymer.
At the end of the night, firefighters and street-cleaning trucks handled the debris. Photo by Taytum Wymer.

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