Baltimore ends Independence Day with fireworks, drone spectacle over Inner Harbor
BALTIMORE – Thousands of people swarmed to Baltimore's Inner Harbor on Thursday to celebrate our nation's Independence Day.
The lineup of events included performances by a DJ, a live band and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
"It's a shared language," BSO President and CEO Mark Hanson said. "BSO wants to be a part of these important community moments where we bring people together and recognize what we all share in common, even though there are many differences in the world today."
Instrumentalists led into the evening's grand finale -- a massive fireworks and drone show. Here is a slideshow of the fireworks show.
About 250 drones and approximately 1,000 fireworks lit up the city's skyline featuring Baltimore icons, which kicked off at approximately 9:30 p.m.
"It definitely is probably one of the best fireworks shows in Maryland," spectator Dee Acosta said. "It's a lot of nostalgia from when I was a kid."
Image Engineering does pyrotechnic, fireworks and drone shows across the country, but they say there's nowhere else they'd rather be than performing a show designed for Baltimore created by a team from Baltimore.
"It really is a hometown-based show," said Michaela O'Gallagher, creative services manager for Image Engineering. "It's the place to be and it's really a spectacular energy down in the Inner Harbor."
While traditional fireworks displays are commonplace on July 4, drone shows are newer to the entertainment scene.
The drones were launched from land, while the fireworks were set off from a barge in the water.
Although spread far apart, the two created an optical illusion and a glowing moment for spectators.
"It's a nice mix with something like a drone show that's illuminated and just a different sensory experience than a typical firework show," said Phillip Keller, senior technical director for Image Engineering.
