Boston Pops

Boston Ready to Celebrate Fourth of July With Fireworks Show at Esplanade

Thousands of people are expected for the first fireworks show at the Hatch Shell since the start of the pandemic

NBC Universal, Inc.

Boston's fireworks show is inching closer. The stage was almost set Saturday for a 20-minute show with 5,000 fireworks.

It's the first presentation at the Esplanade since 2019. Thousands of people are expected to watch the fireworks show at the Hatch Shell.

"Usually, you don't feel the pressure until about five minutes before showtime, when you realize that you have four or five different platforms spread out over 700 feet," said Matt Shea, the lead pyrotechnician and display designer. "We discussed what we could do to make it look different. What we could do to continue the heritage. Make everybody get excited about the show."

Boston is preparing for a weekend full of Fourth of July celebrations, including the showstopper Pops on Monday.

Officials outlined the security effort Friday, including a bomb squad robot dog.

Roscoe, one of two robotic dogs now working for the Massachusetts State Police bomb squad, was being used at the Charles River Esplanade during safety preparations Friday.

Security preps were underway Friday at the Esplanade ahead of the Fourth of July, with traffic becoming heavy at the start of the holiday weekend.

The area will be closed to the public on July 3, so no one will be able to see the dress rehearsal. Safety officials also asked people coming to see the show on Monday travel light, and weapons, alcohol, backpacks and glass containers are all prohibited.

"Please carry as little as possible, only what you need," said Jeanne Benincasa Thorpe, an undersecretary of homeland security, at a briefing Friday.

Roscoe, a Massachusetts State Police robotic dog, is part of the team keeping the Boston Pops Fourth of July Spectacular safe this year.

State police say they'll have uniformed and plain clothed officers around the Esplanade, a unit in the river and police dogs besides Roscoe the robot.

There will also be multiple roads closed and traffic diverted in parts of the city. Boston Police has asked the public to avoid using cars to get into the city on Monday.

Click here for Boston Police Department's list of road closures and parking restrictions.

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