Boomsday
Boomsday 2007 logo
Grand finale of the 2008 Boomsday event
GenreFirework show
Date(s)Labor Day weekend
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Volunteer Landing, downtown Knoxville, Tennessee
Years active1987-2015
Inaugurated1987 (1987)[1]
Most recent2015
Attendance325,000[1]

Boomsday was an annual fireworks celebration that took place on Labor Day weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was the largest Labor Day firework show in the United States,[1] and was considered a top attraction in the region. The event was held on Volunteer Landing and accompanied by live music and festivities.[1]

Boomsday's firework display attracted over 325,000 spectators every year.[1] Fireworks were set off from the Henley Street Bridge (to a lesser extent Baptist Hospital and the Gay Street Bridge) and spectators could view the show from the riverfront, hillsides, or on boats from the Tennessee River. In 2006, Boomsday was expanded to a three-day event lasting through Labor Day weekend, causing Knoxville to lose money,[2] and the city reverted to the one-day event in 2007.[1] The fireworks display was choreographed to music with one such selection being Madonna's Lucky Star in which all the bursts were star shaped. The Tennessee Volunteer's fight song with the bursts being the team's colors bursting in front of Neyland Stadium was always a perennial crowd pleaser. Other musical selections included Smoke on the Water from Deep Purple, the theme from Jaws, and Born to Be Wild from Steppenwolf, just to name a few. The "waterfall" on the Henley Street Bridge marked the second half of the show.

In July 2015, organizers announced that 2015 would be the final Boomsday, stating that the city loses approximately $100,000 per year hosting the event.[3][4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "BOOMSDAY 2008". City of Knoxville. 2008-08-31. Archived from the original on 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  2. ↑ Herzog, Herryn (2006-09-05). "Bigger Boomsday loses money, but will be back for 2007". WBIR.com. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  3. ↑ "This Year's Boomsday Will Be the Last," WBIR.com, 28 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Wildsmith, Steve (2 September 2015). "OUT WITH A BANG: Organizers begin the 'Final Countdown' for last Boomsday". The Daily Times. Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
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