Erie’s Fourth of July celebration officially got underway in a very big way on the bayfront Friday night.

Despite the hot and humid conditions, thousands of people were on the bayfront to see the all-American show for themselves, and a lot of preparation went into those fireworks, with months of planning leading up to the big show and lots of setup throughout the day.

Friday night was the big night for Light & Liberty on the Lake, the city’s annual fireworks show at Dobbin’s Landing. Thousands lined the bay along the waterfront and out on Presque Isle and watched throughout the city to celebrate America 250 right here in Erie.

“It’s great that this is the year to have the biggest fireworks show we’ve done because of America 250 and celebrating our country’s birthday and the July Fourth this weekend,” said Lunter Lytle, the special events coordinator for the mayor’s office.

“So, in the past, I know it’s been a little bit shorter; we were all very excited down here when we heard it was gonna be a longer show this year. I think Erie needs something like that, to really celebrate, especially being the 250th year,” said David Plonski, a bartender at Rum Runners.

The celebration kicked off with a concert at Liberty Park featuring the Marshall Tucker Band and Buckcherry leading up to the big show everyone was waiting for. For some, excitement has been building for weeks to see the fireworks, and crews spent all day setting up the show to ensure a fun, exciting, and safe celebration— with high expectations.

“I mean, excited might be an understatement at this point. Pretty much, this might be the best day of my life,” said Plonski.

Some watchers even headed to the waterfront hours before the show was set to start to beat the traffic.

“We got down here around like four, yeah we wanted to get down here before five,” said Noalia Waite, an attendee. “Because as soon as it hits like six or seven, it gets really, really packed down here.”

Whether the show is a nostalgic tradition or a first time for those who came out to catch the fireworks, attendees said this year’s display made the holiday celebration one to remember.

See our live coverage of the city’s preparations below:

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