One of the most anticipated annual traditions in the City of Boston returns Thursday, July 4, when the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular comes to the DCR Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade.
This spring, the Boston Pops, affectionately known as “America’s Orchestra,” entered its 134th season of entertaining audiences, with Conductor Keith Lockhart helming the orchestra for his 25th year.
The Fourth of July concert, which begins at 8 p.m., will feature performances by the Boston Pops, and under Lockhart’s direction, Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winner and Academy Awards nominee Queen Latifah, as well as legendary singer-songwriter and storyteller Arlo Guthrie, who will perform a musical tribute a half-century in the making called “Summer of ’69” commemorating the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. The concert also includes performances by 16-year-old vocal phenomenon Amanda Mena, a Massachusetts native and a semi-finalist on the hit NBC series “America’s Got Talent” and three-time Emmy Award-winning vocal trio The Texas Tenors,
The event opens with traditional F 15 Eagle flyover, by the 104th Fighter Wing from Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Mass., followed by a special flag presentation by the United States Air Force Honor Guard from Washington, D.C. The U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters Chorus will perform patriotic classics and new favorites at this time.
Immediately following the concert, a 20-minute fireworks show designed by GrucciFireworks and accompanied by the music of the Boston Pops is slated to kick off at 10:30 p.m., which brings the evening to an end.
Gates for the Boston Pops Fireworks open at 9 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to the screens along the Charles River, a large screen will be mounted for the second year in a row on the Rose Kennedy Greenway for additional public viewing. The event, which is sponsored by Eaton Vance in association with the Depatment of Conservation and Recreation, will also air live on Bloomberg Television and 7News – WHDH Boston.
“For years, the Charles River Esplanade and the DCR’s Hatch Memorial Shell has served as the iconic backdrop for the state’s most prominent Fourth of July celebration, where thousands of people descend onto the parkland and have made this event a time honored tradition in recognition of our country’s birth,” said DCR Deputy Commissioner Priscilla Geigis. “The DCR looks forward to this event every year, and staff work incredibly hard to ensure a safe, festive atmosphere is provided, and the parkland is returned to its natural splendor.”
Michael J. Nichols, executive director of the Esplanade Association, added: “Everyone knows Boston as the ‘Cradle of Liberty’ and we’re delighted to have the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular play a leading annual role in focusing the nation’s attention on our City. The Esplanade Association spends several weeks before and after the event each year cleaning up the park, managing its beautiful plantings, removing trash, painting benches, and more and we’re thrilled to be the venue where so many July 4th memories are made.”
For more information on the event, including road closures, visit http://bostonpopsjuly4th.org.