Ka-Boom! The Top Fireworks Displays Across the US
Depending on when and where you read this, you may still have some time to make some above-and-beyond plans for the US’s 250th anniversary of independence.
By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
Obviously, the current administration has encountered some challenges in creating a compelling national celebration of the US’s Semiquincentennial Independence Day anniversary. However, government inefficiency aside, the foundational appeal of a traditional fireworks display (and its associated thrills and memory-making moments) lies beyond yearly tallies and is best experienced locally and in person.
It’s all well and good to have a family tradition of loading up the car and heading to a nearby park, mall, roadside, or other venue to celebrate the Fourth of July. But if you’re feeling motivated to do something special and are within striking distance of these US cities, you can still experience an Independence Day celebration for the record books.
New York City: 50th Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks
Launched from the Brooklyn Bridge, you only really need to get yourself somewhere within Manhattan’s East River-adjacent downtown environs to witness the spectacle of the fireworks extravaganza that Macy’s is throwing this year.
Pro Tip: Although Macy’s event website only recommends viewing areas in Manhattan, the views from Brooklyn Bridge Park (which runs from Brooklyn Heights to DUMBO) and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade will both offer excellent views of the fireworks.
While NBC will televise the show staring at 8pm EDT tonight, the event’s organizers have a number of special plans for this particular celebration you’ll want to see for yourself: 75 technician’s work over 240 firing positions and 8 miles of wires and cables to deliver 12 special high-tech pyrotechnic “animations” and over 30 colors of explosive light from about 85,000 shells, making it one of the world’s largest displays.
The performance talents of Post Malone, Blake Shelton, and Salt-N-Pepa (to name just a few) will only add to the festive vibe in the Big Apple tonight. The show runs 8 to 10pm EDT.
Boston: Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular
The illustrious Boston Pops’ symphony orchestra has performed its free concert along the Charles River for the Fourth of July since 1929, with the impressive fireworks joining the show in 1974. Aptly deep history for a city so central to the American Revolution itself.
This year, long-standing conductor Kieth Lockhart (who is currently celebrating his 31st year at the helm) is leading the orchestra playing from the Charles River Esplanade’s Hatch Memorial Shell through patriotic classics, popular sing-alongs, two world premiere pieces by contemporary composers, as well as a traditional synchronized performance of Tchaikovsky’s bombastic 1812 Overture for the fireworks and colorful drone displays as a finale.
The concert begins at 7pm EDT tonight, with the fuses getting lit at about 9:15pm.
Philadelphia: Wawa Welcome America
While Philly may have a beef with Boston over which city is the spiritual home of the American Revolution, this annual display (sponsored by the oddly distinctive regional convenience store chain Wawa) comes off as a combination of big-city bang with a decidedly local heart.
Tonight’s fireworks display is the culmination of a 15-day citywide activation involving 56 separate events at 55 Philadelphia venues to commemorate the Independence Day anniversary. However, somewhere along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is where you want to be tonight as midnight approaches.
Gates open today at 3pm EDT with a free One Philly: Unity Concert kicking off at 5pm (Philly native Will Smith and Grammy winner Christina Aguilera are just a few who will perform). But the fireworks begin at 11:30pm.
St. Louis: Celebrate St. Louis
With the iconic Gateway Arch as a backdrop, St. Louis’ Independence Day spectacular certainly speaks to the United States’ unique sense of continent-spanning manifest destiny, as the national park and monument are also referred to as “the gateway to the west.”
While early bird locals enjoyed a fireworks display and free concert last night, tonight’s activities are the “big one” you shouldn’t miss: Grammy winners Miranda Lambert and Kenny Loggins will perform as well as the festive, funky New Orleans-vibe Rebirth Brass Band (among others) at a free concert from 3pm CDT, followed by an elaborate 1,500-drone light show and spectacular fireworks display kicking off around 9:40pm.
Los Angeles: Hollywood Bowl July Fourth Fireworks with the Beach Boys
As you head farther west in the country, Independence Day celebrations tend to shift away from heritage and history toward a more laid-back sense of regional celebration and fun. The Fourth of July concert and fireworks show at the fabled Hollywood Bowl requires tickets (as of last check, there were still seats available starting at about $166), but it has become Los Angeles’ premier Fourth of July event since its post-war origins in 1944.
California heroes The Beach Boys continue their performance tradition this year, but they started playing the gig back in the early 1960s. TV star and drummer John Stamos joins the Boys as a guest performer (something he started doing in 1984) to complete the distinctly California vibe.
While the three days of performance and fireworks kicked off on July 2nd, both the band and the technicians are now fully warmed up for tonight’s show, which starts at 7:30pm PDT.
All we can say is, no taxation without representation!