Finale Revealed for Space Needle New Year’s Eve Fireworks
Original Article -- http://komonews.com/news/local/finale-revealed-for-space-needle-new-years-eve-fireworks
Security is tight across much of the country this New Year's Eve. Seattle Police say they do expect to be very busy, though they have "no upgraded security threat level" and "have no concerns about unplanned events." The department did tell KOMO News that many officers will be working on their days off and that they will be working on large events in the city, plus traffic concerns and looking for impaired drivers.
In advance of the evening festivities and midnight celebration, KOMO took a tour of the preparations at the Space Needle, to give you a sneak peak at the new fireworks show for this year.
For the first time, they'll be shooting fireworks off the very top of the needle, where all this month, we've been enjoying the lit tree.
"This year we're shooting literally from 84 different locations on the space needle. And it's technically pretty challenging for us each year," said Ian Gilfillan, Executive Vice President of Pyro Spectaculars. They've been putting this show on for more than 20 years now.
It took a full crew of 12 strong guys, to move it all in place. One by one, they hoisted blocks of wood, filled with pyro-technic tubes up narrow ladders to the top of the needle.
Of course, the planning for this fireworks extravaganza started months ago, with the bed of music that will be used.
The show is completely choreographed to music chosen by KEXP, starting at 11:59.
"The opening sequence is kind of a space, NASA kind of countdown sequence," said Gilfillan.
And with the stroke of midnight, he said the music lets lose for 7 solid minutes of spectacular pyrotechnics, the grand finale; a local tune from a familiar name. Gilfillan revealed the final tune will be 'Downtown' from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
New kind of fireworks show for Poinsettia Bowl
Original Article — http://goo.gl/sOcqVE SAN DIEGO — James Souza, the man behind some of the nation’s biggest fireworks displays, has only one way […]
RIVERSIDE: Festival of Lights thrills crowds at Mission Inn
Original Article -- http://www.pe.com/articles/ceremony-787708-night-hotel.html
Thousands of festive revelers and millions of lights turned the historic Mission Inn Hotel and Spa into a holiday wonderland during Friday night's 23rd annual switch-on ceremony, a glittery kickoff to the region's holiday season.
The ceremony, which included a fireworks display and a performance by the Riverside City College Marching Tigers, has turned into a national draw in recent years due to exposure on TV shows and in USA Today. And it's become a highly sought-after backdrop for selfie-seeking locals.
"Now with social media, it's gone crazy," said Monica Puga, who took in the spectacle with her husband, Juan, and 3-year-old son, Andrew.
Andrew had one of the best seats in the house, taking in the scene from his dad's shoulders. The Pugas, who hail from Moreno Valley, have been going to the ceremony for about 10 years.
They make a grand night of it, indulging in kettle corn, doughnuts and funnel cakes. When the crowd thins out, the Pugas make their way to the front of the historic structure to take in the awe-inspiring sight of a building bathed in the glow of almost 5 million lights.
"It's the start to the holidays," she said. "You start thinking about the lights you're going to put up at your home."
Oliver Unaka, the inn's public relations director, said the crowd for Friday night's extravaganza was estimated at 78,000.
Included in the number are international and national guests who have made a visit to the inn part of their holiday traditions and Southern Californians who drive in for the ceremony.
Unaka said the festival, which runs through Jan. 6, has helped boost the occupancy rate at the hotel to around 96 percent, up from 80 percent to 85 percent five years ago.
Some of the guests stay for a week at a time, he said, a fact that would bring a smile to the face of the hotel's founder, Frank Augustus Miller, who packed the hotel with diversions to occupy a visitor during long vacations.
"This is our busiest time of the year," Unaka said.
In response to the recent attacks in Paris, organizers bolstered the private security presence at the festival and the Riverside Police Department, apparently at the behest of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, deflected questions ahead of the event about the exact time the lights were scheduled to be switched-on and how many people were expected to attend.
At last year's ceremony, a group of protesters attempted to disrupt the festivities by blocking traffic at Main Street and Mission Inn Avenue. The scene turned chaotic when a motorist trying to weave through the crowd hit some of the protesters.
There were no similar incidents this year.