Coolest Fireworks Show..you ever saw???

Wife and I got stationed in Detroit, MI one time for a big project. We'd heard about the fireworks show on the Detroit River. It attracts hundreds of thousands on both sides of the border. They don't do it on the "4th", they do it a few days beforehand (forgive me for not knowing the Canadian holiday) to coincide with "Canada Day" (or something like that, again, sorry for likely getting it wrong).

Anyway, we had a good spot for the fireworks on the Detroit side. Out in the river they have several huge barges full of fireworks (( actually think it's one of the bigger fireworks shows in the US/Canada).

The show started off as any great fireworks show. Lots of great booms and showers. I knew a little bit about how they staged it at the time, and knew there would be a pause between the different barges. There were lots of performing acts and live music.

I think it was between the 2nd and 3rd barge. Everyone was partying, it was fun. They lit off the 3rd barge starting with some big 12" shells. You cold hear the concussion across the water. BIG (thumps), as the shock waves came across the river, maybe 3 of them. You just knew it was going to be HUGE!

All the barges were loaded with sand, and the big fireworks shells were loaded in steel tubes buried in the sand. The had a control boat which would trigger the fireworks in time with a music score on several radio stations. It was really cool to watch.

But there were (3) bass notes in the song that night, and there were (3) shock waves as the shells lauched...and then...a duller (4th) (thud). UH OHHHHhhhhhhh!!!!

I forget the year, and perhaps some other MI members here may remember this day, but that whole entire barge went up...the whole damn thing...every last shell they had on that barge (there were hundreds). It was one of the biggest uncontrolled conflagrations I've ever seen!

It was absolutely SPECTACULAR! Most human beings on planet Earth have never seen anything like this!! Probably 2,000 TONS of fireworks all going off at the same time! You could see the big fire boats moving in, spraying hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, but the show (unexpected) went on. Spotlights were on the barge, now partially submerged, rescue boats everywhere, sirens, police boats everywhere. The thunder and shock waves from that day were just incredible.

Much of the crowd was confused, they thought it was the grand finale, but it was only halfway through the show...but no "grand finale" would EVER match what happened that night!!!!! EVAR!!

Some shells went off straight up, others off at an angle, some sideways, some just erupted on the barge, shooting huge blue red and green streamers dancing across the water. It went on for 20 minutes or so. Absolutely EPIC.

Fortunately, no one was killed, and I've seen some pretty good shows on the 4th, but that one takes the cake!!

Best fireworks show I have ever witnessed was in Wamego, Kansas. Went to see the show twice while I was stationed in Fort Riley.

I grew up in Vegas, I've yet to see a fireworks show in Vegas that could top what the community of Wamego does every year. This year up in Northern Nevada most fireworks have been called off because our area is surrounded by human-started wildfires.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Yeah D Town doesn't play around with fireworks.

There's a special kind of nostalgia abut the 4th up in Michigan:

1. Made in America has extra special meaning unique to there.
2. So many lakes everywhere helps stoke it especially because:
3. The weather completely blows 8 months out of the year, but its brilliant in early July. Christmas doesn't even get the enthusiasm where I come from.

Saw one from above once. Lived at 10,000 ft,. Fireworks were launched from below. Pulled over in a switch back and watched em coming right up at me. Didn't compare to watching a thunderstorm from above in the same location though ahhh Colorado

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
Check out the show put on every year in Bay City, MI, about 2 hours north of the D. When I was growing up, it was said that it was the most expensive show in America. I can't verify the truthfulness of that, but it is pretty gnarly! It is put on over the Saginaw river, and it is a great big party scene, with headline bands and carnivals and all of that good stuff.

Canada's 150th birthday on July 1st in Canada's capital.
One HELL of a fireworks show!!!

The only 2 things that tainted that day was Prince Charles and Bono were there.

I normally don't care much about fireworks but that was just awesome!!

Coolest had to be the year we went to Red White and Blueash and got to sit in a parking lot super close to where the fireworks were launched. Families of officers working the festival that night got the privilege of that private viewing lot. Welllll things went a wee bit wrong and a few of the fireworks launched sideways toward the lot. All I remember is screaming and running as fast as I could back toward the car as fire balls went whizzing past my head, banging and booming all around like i was trapped under a metal pot someone was hitting with a stick. I dove into the trunk of my moms minivan and slammed it closed as I watched through the back window as the other kids and adults screaming and running and blue and green and white fireballs raining down on us I think I was 12? My mom sat outside the van laughing, I guess shes an adrenaline junkie. Anyways I never wanted to see or be near another firework for as long as I lived after that, and to this day I'm very cautious about where we view any fireworks from.

So traumatizing yes, coolest, still yes.

-Alee