Boom by the Bay kicks off Fourth of July festivities this weekend
TAMPA, Fla. - Thousands of people are expected in downtown Tampa this weekend for the annual "Boom by the Bay" Fourth of July celebration.
The event is happening on Saturday, kicking of the Fourth of July festivities.
"It's an opportunity, we feel, to allow more people to be able to celebrate as opposed to having it on a weeknight," Mayor Jane Castor explained.
This year, the entire "Boom by the Bay" event will be held at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
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The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino says the headlining act is Kenzie Wheeler, a Florida native and former contestant on The Voice.
"To see everybody out here, the young kids all the way up to the seasoned citizens, everybody interacting in a wonderful way and in celebration," Castor said. "And that's what we're going to do this Saturday."
The city of Tampa says the free trolley will run from 3:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday. It will pick up from Poe Parking Garage and Fort Brooke Garage, and drop people at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
If you have an ADA accessible permit or license plate, the city says you can now park in any metered city spot for up to four hours for free.
If you’re driving downtown, you can pay to park by using several different apps including Passport, Pay By Phone, Park Mobile and Flowbird.
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"Boom by the Bay" will also include its first pickleball tournament this year. The city says the tournament is already sold out to play in.
There will also be an apple pie eating contest this year, which you can sign up for on the day of the event.
"Found out each pie is three pounds apiece," Shawn Drinkard, Tampa Downtown Partnership’s Interim President shared. "And if you want to do that, you sign up down here at the park and there's a time limit. So how much pie can you possibly eat in 10 minutes? Come on down here and find out."
Tampa Bay will host its annual Boom by the Bay celebration on the weekend before the Fourth of July.
Safety remains a top priority for the city.
Mayor Castor urges people to come out to see fireworks at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park instead of trying to set fireworks off at home. She says you’ll be able to see the fireworks from all around downtown Tampa.
The city also sent out a warning against firing guns into the air in celebration.
"What goes up comes down and people die every year from people shooting off celebratory firearms. And that is no celebration whatsoever. And people can die from that. So no shooting guns in the air," Castor said. "That is a really, really dangerous move."
You can text "BOOM" to 888-777 for updates on "Boom by the Bay".