What it takes to stage WBRZ’s July 4th Fireworks on the Mississippi

It’s been a longstanding tradition for half a century in Baton Rouge, but how much do we really know about what goes on behind the scenes of the annual fireworks spectacular on the river?

We talked to the event’s sponsor, WBRZ, to get the details of the explosive evening by the numbers.

225: Not just our area code—it’s also the number of hours it takes to select the fireworks, design the display, load trucks, set up the barge, connect the electrical system, produce the display and strike equipment

1,600: Estimated total pounds of pyrotechnics used in WBRZ’s Fireworks on the Mississippi

5: Number of technicians each day over the four-day span it takes to stage and orchestrate the fireworks display

1,000: Aerial shells used in the show, ranging in size from a softball to a basketball. An additional several hundred smaller fireworks are used in the grand finale.

22: Minutes of duration for the spectacular—30 percent longer than the second-longest display in Louisiana

47: Years the Manship family has made this fireworks show a Baton Rouge tradition

Watch the show from downtown Baton Rouge or Port Allen beginning at 9 p.m. Find more info on the full day of July 4th events here.