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Fireworks light up the skies at Festival on the 4th

Coverage of the celebration ran from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on July 4 on WBIR Channel 10.

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Fireworks lit up the skies above Knoxville on Independence Day during Festival on the Fourth at World's Fair Park.

You can re-watch the spectacular fireworks show below.

ORIGINAL STORY: 

You can celebrate the Fourth of July from the comfort of your own home because WBIR is carrying this year's Festival on the 4th fireworks again.

Watch our coverage of Knoxville’s Festival on the 4th live from World’s Fair Park, see the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra's patriotic Fourth of July show, and, of course, the fireworks that come after. 

Coverage is from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on July 4 on WBIR Channel 10.

It will also be streamed on WBIR.com.

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The City of Knoxville hosts the community-wide Festival on the Fourth celebration at World’s Fair Park on Thursday, July 4, 4 to 10 p.m. Everyone is invited to enjoy free activities, live music and the City’s largest fireworks display. 

Festival on the Fourth features a variety of entertainment, activities and food vendors on the Performance Lawn, Festival Lawn and inside the Tennessee Amphitheater. 

Live family entertainment on the Home Federal Bank Family Fun Stage at the Tennessee Amphitheater includes: 

  • 4:15 - 4:45 p.m.: K-Pop Dancers
  • 5 - 5:45 p.m.: Dre Hilton
  • 6 - 7 p.m.: The Amazing Magic Show with Tim Pressley

Activities in the Regal Kids Zone on the Festival Lawn include mini-golf, a water balloon game, Legos by Bricks 4 Kids, a climbing wall and a Eurobungy trampoline. Families can also enjoy face painting and a photo booth. 

On the park’s Festival Lawn Stage, Bary Jolly performs Jimmy Buffet’s songs from 4:15 - 5:30 p.m., followed by classic rock covers by the Bicho Brothers from 6 - 7:30 p.m. 

Music on the Performance Lawn Stage begins at 5 p.m. with a performance by the Stoney Point Bluegrass Band. 

At 8 p.m., the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s 35th annual Free Pilot Flying J Independence Day Concert featuring KSO Music Director Aram Demirjian begins its performance. Patriotic favorites from Aaron Copland, John Philip Sousa and John Williams will be performed. 

The program will showcase tributes to the 75th anniversary of D-Day with selections from "Saving Private Ryan" and the 50th anniversary of the 1969 moon landing with selections from the score of “Apollo 13.” 

The City’s largest annual fireworks display begins at 9:35 p.m. The Symphony’s performance and fireworks display will be broadcast live on WBIR-TV Channel 10 and WBIR.com from 8-10 p.m.

The impressive fireworks display will last for 15 minutes with roughly a few thousand shots lighting up the sky. Crews with Pyro Shows in LaFollette have been busy setting up for the big show on the middle of the Henley Bridge.

It takes three days to move and load the fireworks-packed shells into the mortars. 

As Knoxville has grown, they've had to reduce the size of their shells in order to keep the show safe. The trade-off is that they get to shoot more shells  -- which they feel looks and sounds more impressive.

"Everyone likes to get out and celebrate the Fourth, and we're happy to help them. That's what makes it worth it. It's a lot of work for a short period of time," pyrotechnician Randy Heatherly said.

Free parking is available in the 11th Street, Locust Street, Walnut Street, State Street and Market Square garages, as well as the City’s Blackstock lots on Grand Avenue. ADA parking is available at the Fort Kid parking lot on World’s Fair Park Drive. 

Guests are invited to bring chairs and blankets, but no coolers, alcohol, pop-up tents, canopies or pets will be allowed. In addition, scooter vendors will activate geofencing around the fair site to prohibit scooters from entering. 

Be advised of the following festival-related road closures: 

  • World’s Fair Park Drive between Clinch and Grand avenues will be closed 2-11 p.m. Thursday
  • Clinch Avenue between Henley and 11th streets will be closed 2-11 p.m. Thursday
  • Henley Bridge between Hill and Blount avenues will be closed 4-11 p.m. Thursday

This annual event happens rain or shine. Visit KnoxvilleTN.gov/4th for additional information.

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