EXCLUSIVE

The government is shelling out more dough this year on the National Mall 4th of July Celebration when it comes to fireworks ... $30k more, but it's unclear if it's getting a bigger bang for its buck.

We got ahold of the National Park Service's contract for the event where the government lights up the sky for 18 minutes. It'll cost about $270k. Last year's show cost around $240k.

Another $77k will be spent on fencing, while about $13k will go towards emergency services, including fire trucks.

Thousands make the trek to the Mall and Lincoln Memorial for the 4th of July celebration.