Thursday, May 2, 2024

Big Bay Boom: A Quartet of Pyrotechnics on San Diego Bay

Four for the Fourth ~ Show starts at 9 pm from four barges in San Diego Bay.

Colorful fireworks light up San Diego Bay in a previous Big Bay Boom event. Photo courtesy of bigbayboom.com and Port of San Diego

The Port of San Diego’s annual Big Bay Boom will be a spectacular evening of pyrotechnics on San Diego Bay. The Independence Day tradition takes place on Tuesday, July 4, 2023 at 9 pm, and the Coronado Ferry Landing is one of the prime spots for viewing.

Fireworks will be discharged simultaneously from four barges placed strategically around San Diego Bay and the show can be viewed from most anywhere along the northern and central parts of the bay. The most popular areas to watch are at Shelter Island, Spanish Landing Park, Harbor Island, Embarcadero Parks North & South, Seaport Village, Cesar Chavez Park, and Coronado Ferry Landing. Additionally, there will be food trucks on Broadway Pier.

Locations of the four barges that will simultaneously create the Big Bay Boom.

Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, bring a lawn chair and/or blanket, and bring a radio to tune into the musical simulcast that will be broadcast live on KGB 101.5 FM.

“The Port of San Diego is proud to sponsor the Big Bay Boom and invites San Diegans and visitors to enjoy this incredible celebration,” said Chairman Rafael Castellanos, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “The Big Bay Boom is one of the Port’s iconic holiday events and is a significant economic stimulus for local businesses.”

Can’t make the show? Watch it live on Fox 5 San Diego, KTLA 5 Los Angeles, or Fox 40 Sacramento. A delayed broadcast will be on Fresno KGPE from 9 to 10 pm and on Bakersfield KGET from 10:30 to 11:30 pm.

The Port of San Diego’s Big Bay Boom July 4th Fireworks Show benefits the Armed Services YMCA’s family service programs for our military families including our wounded warriors at Naval Medical Center San Diego. San Diego has thousands of military personnel deployed and the families left behind often face specific challenges that the Armed Services YMCA helps them resolve.

The Big Bay Boom has taken place every year since 2001, except for a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic. A 2022 economic impact assessment was conducted by San Diego State University’s L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and reported that the Big Bay Boom generated approximately $74.4 million in direct and indirect economic impacts to the region. San Diego Bay area hotels, restaurants, retail shops, tour operators, museums, charter cruise firms, boat rental companies, and other businesses see a boost from locals and visitors alike.



Managing Editor
Managing Editor
Originally from upstate New York, Dani Schwartz has lived in Coronado since 1996. She is happy to call Coronado home and to have raised her children here. In her free time she enjoys reading, exercising, trying new restaurants, and just walking her dog around the "island." Have news to share? Send tips or story ideas to: [email protected]

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