San Francisco fireworks, again after skipping a 12 months, draw throngs to waterfront
The fireworks returned to the San Francisco waterfront on Sunday evening, the skipped border on a July 4th when communities in the Bay Area returned to more typical celebrations of the holiday, but events are still fueled by concerns about COVID-19 and the California drought have been mitigated.
Punctually at 9:30 pm, the colorful fusillade, accompanied by upbeat music, began from a platform in the bay near Pier 39. The multicolored fireworks lit the sky and drew the crowds along the water along Fisherman’s Wharf and Aquatic Park appreciative screams.
Thousands of revelers flocked to the area to see the city’s traditional July 4th exhibition after last summer’s pandemic-forced cancellation of the holiday left few options but to stay home.
“We are regulars, my son and I,” said Maritza Longland from San Mateo. “It’s refreshing to be back.”
Pier 39 was crowded for the celebration, as was Jefferson Street in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf. All the wooden railings along the water were lined with people, and every green patch was filled. The Aquatic Park was teeming with couples, families, and groups of friends looking for open vantage points – some of them wrapped in blankets to ward off the summer chill.
At 8:45 p.m., before the fireworks began, Pier 39 was so crowded that police ordered it to be closed to anyone who was already there. Security forces used metal barricades to keep others away.
Visitors Daniel and Ashley Daniele from Elk Grove, near Sacramento, grabbed a seat on the Aquatic Park lawn just after 6 p.m. for a good view of the fireworks.
“We have never seen fireworks here and it seemed like a good year to come,” said Ashley. They too enjoyed the freezing cold, in contrast to their glowing Central Valley home: “It doesn’t seem that bad.”
The fireworks event was not as extensive as it was before the pandemic. The fireworks itself was a 30-minute choreographed spectacle, but the run-up was less bombastic. For example, there was no afternoon music in the Aquatic Park.
“It’s not too crowded – some years you can’t move,” said Longland, a city native who has attended more than a dozen times. “In some years there are noisy people, but it’s nice to be back in San Francisco and have an urban experience.”
Other parts of the Bay Area celebrated the day with a variety of festivities, but many chose not to go as far as San Francisco for large fireworks displays. There were some pyrotechnic shows, but a number of cities around the bay canceled their annual fireworks tradition, including Benicia, Berkeley, Mountain View, Redwood City, and San Rafael.
Tinder-dry conditions in bushy, less developed areas mean that Berkeley and Oakland closed Grizzly Peak Road. In addition, due to the high risk of fire, UC Berkeley blocked access to observation seats on hillside locations such as the parking lots of the UC Botanical Gardens and the Lawrence Hall of Science. Previously, San Mateo County had increased its fine for using illegal fireworks tenfold, to $ 1,000 for a first offense. Officials were on high alert for forest fires, given the scorching heat in many parts of the state, as well as the wind and dry terrain.
But there were still many official holiday parades, picnics, and concerts. An example of improvisation as the pandemic subsides: Alameda sponsored its very first “Veranda in July” – where residents could decorate their porches, cars or front yards, and judges visited them to criticize them in five different categories, including “Most Star -Spangled “ghost.”
John King is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com
