Big Bay Boom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big Bay Boom |
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Big Bay Boom fireworks on July 4, 2013
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| Genre | Fireworks display |
| Location(s) | San Diego, California |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Website | bigbayboom.com |
The Big Bay Boom is a huge annual fireworks show in San Diego, California. It happens every year on July 4th, which is a national holiday in the United States. This special event started in 2001.
Many people say it's one of the biggest fireworks displays in the entire country. It's also known for being very complicated to set up. From 2010 to 2012, the show covered 14 miles and had fireworks launched from five different spots! The main supporter of the event is the Port of San Diego. Since 2014, a company called Pyro Spectacular by Souza has been in charge of the fireworks. About half a million people gather around San Diego Bay to watch this amazing show each year.
Contents
How the Big Bay Boom Started
For a long time, there was a fireworks show over San Diego Bay, put on by the city of Coronado, California. Sandy Purdon, who owned a marina and used to lead the Port Tenants Association, had a great idea. He wanted to create an even bigger fireworks show from the San Diego side of the Bay.
He found other businesses near the bay to help pay for it. The Port of San Diego also joined in, offering money and other support. The very first Big Bay Boom happened in 2001. For that show, fireworks were launched from two large floating platforms called barges in San Diego Bay.
Growing Bigger Over Time
The event quickly grew in size.
- In 2004, they added a third barge.
- By 2005, there were four barges launching fireworks.
- In 2010, the Imperial Beach pier was added as a fifth location. This made the show even larger.
However, in 2013, Imperial Beach decided not to be part of the show anymore. So, the Big Bay Boom went back to having four locations in San Diego Bay.
A Different Kind of Show in 2020
In 2020, the usual fireworks show had to be canceled. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the live show, a special TV program was aired for everyone to watch from home.
What the Show is Like
The Big Bay Boom uses four barges located in different parts of San Diego Bay. These spots are near Shelter Island, Harbor Island, North Embarcadero, and South Embarcadero.
All four locations launch the same fireworks at the exact same time. The fireworks are carefully timed to go along with patriotic music. You can listen to this music on a local radio station. As of 2019, the radio station KHTS-FM broadcasts the music for the show.
Sandy Purdon, the person who first thought of the idea, is still the main organizer of the event. He runs it through a company he created called H. P. Purdon & Co. Many businesses and groups help pay for the Big Bay Boom. If there's any extra money left over, it goes to the San Diego Armed Services YMCA. This is a non-profit group that helps military service members and their families. They have locations in Murphy Canyon, Naval Medical Center San Diego, and Naval Base San Diego.
