Birmingham’s beloved and iconic fireworks show will once again be lighting up the sky around Vulcan for the Fourth of July in the Magic City.
Thunder on the Mountain is one of Alabama’s largest Independence Day firework displays. It can be seen from downtown Birmingham and Homewood. It is organized every year by the Vulcan Park Foundation, which started putting on the show shortly after it was founded 25 years ago.
“It's just an event that brings a community together. Everyone in Central Alabama is looking up to the sky up toward Vulcan and just celebrating the Fourth of July with their families. This has become a tradition for this community,” said Cynthia Cardona, President and CEO of Vulcan Park and Museum.
The fireworks show itself is put on by Pyro Shows, which will be shooting more than 2,500 fireworks shells from the back of Vulcan Park into the Birmingham sky. The fireworks are also synchronized to a soundtrack that spectators can listen to from local stations.
“It's over 50 songs, and again, it's created by Pyro shows of Alabama for us. It's a little a bit of anything and everything patriotic. There's songs on there from the US Air Force band, Bruce Springsteen, of course, and then your typical Fourth of July songs related to celebrating the nation's birthday,” said Cardona.
In addition to Pyro Shows, Thunder on the Mountain is presented by Medical Properties Trust. Cardona said the display is also put on with help from the community. Sponsors for this year’s shows include The City of Birmingham, The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, The City of Homewood and the Five Points Neighborhood Association.
“Lot of people work on this,” said Cardona. “It's really a group effort. We can't just take the credit off for ourselves.”
This year’s show also comes after the community’s celebration of Vulcan’s 120th birthday, which took place on June 2.
“We're really looking forward to this display being extremely special. He is 120 years old this year,” said Cardona. “The foundation is 25 years old, and it's also the 20th anniversary of the restoration of the statue and the renovation of the park. So, we're really excited to celebrate all three things this year for Thunder on the Mountain.”
Thunder on the Mountain will take place on July 4 from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Vulcan Park and Museum will close at 6:00 p.m. that day and will be closed off for the remainder of the night.
Spectators can find a spot to watch the show around downtown Birmingham and in Homewood. More information, including a list of stations to tune into for the show, can be found on the Vulcan Park and Museum website.
