Preparations underway for Big Bay Boom

Published: July 2, 2019
From: Fox 5 San Diego
By: Maria Arcega-Dunn and Tabithalipkin 

SAN DIEGO — This year’s Big Bay Boom promises to be a pyrotechnic spectacular that will dazzle and impress. The producer of the show says it will be even better than last year with lots of twists, turns and surprises.

“We’re putting the actual fireworks down the mortars and hooking them up to the firing system,” Sam Bruggema with Pyro Spectaculars by Souza told FOX 5 on Tuesday. “Independence Day doesn’t just show up the morning of the 4th of July. There’s lots of work. Any fireworks show doesn’t happen overnight.”

A crew of 25 people have been putting in long hours to place 8,000 fireworks shells on barges. According to Bruggema, the work started on Monday, but he says the planning to put together the Big Bay Boom Independence Day Celebration, Southern California’s largest fireworks display, started in November.

“Twenty-five-man crew busts their butts getting it all distributed, nailed together, put together so it’s safe and ready to receive the fireworks to go down the guns,” Bruggema said.

Bruggema is the man responsible for the annual 17-minute synchronized fireworks spectacle we get to enjoy every 4th of July.

“Come 9 o’clock to approximately 9:20 Thursday night, it’s going to be pretty wild,” Bruggema said.

He says each year is an attempt to outdo himself so he’s constantly looking for new and unique fireworks.

“We’ve got lots of whistles, we’ve obviously got the big bangs so it’s a little bit for everybody — the shapes, the hearts and the happy faces, and there’s a couple surprises and new stuff people haven’t seen, we’re waiting to debut that,” Bruggema said.

Bruggema says it’ll be a show you and your loved ones won’t be able to take your eyes off of as we celebrate America and our freedom.

“It’s a big party, it’s a good time,” Bruggema said. “It’s Independence Day, our freedom and everybody that’s come before us in the military that’s given us the right to have this day.”

You can catch the Big Bay Boom from the comfort of your couch on FOX 5 starting at 8 p.m.

Big Bay Boom Podcast