DETROIT (WXYZ) — For first-timers and long-timers, the Ford Fireworks show in downtown Detroit is a must-see event for many families.
For many, it’s a tradition spanning generations.
“We’re all happy, having fun. We’re having a little picnic, going to watch the fireworks and really looking forward to it,” Gisele Halliburton said.
Halliburton has been coming since she was little, now returning the favor at the 64th annual Ford Fireworks show.
“It’s very magical at night because there's a lot of fireworks and the fireworks are very pretty,” Leia Yawson-Dickerson said.
But the fireworks event had a two-year gap. Due to COVID-19, the fireworks show hasn’t been downtown since 2019 and folks were eager for the return.
“We've got one of the best fireworks displays in the country, if not the world,” Terrance Dillard said.
Dillard has been to nearly a decade’s worth of Detroit firework shows, excited it’s back downtown with a sense of normalcy
“What it represents for me is Detroit community,” he said.
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The community has been hit hard by the pandemic. Finally coming alive again, businesses feel it too.
“It feels like old times. It feels like it was before the pandemic,” Grand Trunk Pub bar manager Shawn Zhigun said.
Grand Trunk Pub, just a block from Hart Plaza, is open on a Monday for the first time since the pandemic began. The success Monday may lead to expanded hours.
“We opened up just today to see how it was going to look and hopefully from here on out, we can continue to stay open on Mondays,” Grand Trunk Pub kitchen manager Charles Pope said.
With the return of a tradition and big crowds back downtown, many on hand hope it's here to stay.
“It's just beautiful. I love it. I’m glad it's back,” Halliburton said.
Detroit Police Department Chief James White said no major arrests or issues happened during the event. Between Belle Isle Park and downtown Detroit, White estimated about 100,000 people came down for the show.
