TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa's new mayor wants to create a new July 4th tradition in her city. She's calling it "Boom by the Bay."
- "Boom by the Bay" to consist of 4 different fireworks shows
- Shows will be visible from Armature Works, Riverfront Park, Sparkman Wharf, Convention Center
- Event made possible by $150,000 in private donations
- More Hillsborough County news
"Tampa is known for all our celebrations and traditions," Mayor Jane Castor said in a Facebook announcement. "As your new Mayor, I want to kick off my time in office with a bang."
This 4th of July, the city will host a celebration called "Boom by the Bay."
The patriotic event will feature four fireworks displays spanning 2.5 miles of the waterfront.
Shows will be visible at Armature Works, Riverfront Park, The Tampa Convention Center and Sparkman Wharf.
"This is Year One, but this is something that's intended to be a tradition in Tampa moving forward," said Shaun Drinkard with the Tampa Downtown Partnership.
Organizers said the event was made possible through $150,000 in private donations.
"This is fully sponsored by private dollars and all these different venues along the way are highly supportive of doing this," Drinkard said.
Last year's show in downtown Tampa was sponsored by a nonprofit with a limited budget and lasted under 10 minutes.
The year before, a computer glitch caused delays and a shortened show.
"Honestly, the fireworks at the Margarita Festival were better than the 4th of July Fireworks here," said Conner Miller, who lives in the area.
People are hopeful this year will be a blast.
"Love seeing the fireworks on the Fourth. A little barbecue, good friends, good family," said Brynn Discipio.
The city said it will be using the same vendor who put on a fireworks display for the opening for Riverfront Park.
More specifics are expected to be released in the next couple of weeks.