Fireworks were shot off from the back of the pool
Sometimes my job as a stagehand/rigger has its perks…like getting to watch the fireworks for free at Mandalay Bay Casino’s Pool! (and in return –had to run spotlight for a horrible reggae band from Alabama..but you take the good with the bad).
Setting up fireworks in the Mandalay Bay Pool
Here they are setting up the fireworks. The fireworks were set up on barges in the wave pool, and on each side.
Checking on the fireworks set-up.
They started the show with a bang, and playing a whole bunch of USA rock and rockish-country songs (like Born In The USA, American Woman, some other country songs everyone; but me, seemed to know). Its quite a departure for someone like me; that grew up in Boston, and still thinks it kind of sacrilegious to have any music other than the Boston Pops playing to the fireworks…but I still got into it after my initial shock.
4th of July firework show at Mandalay Bay Pool
The fireworks were quite beautiful, and loud, and sparkly, and continuos! Really, just massive amounts of fireworks for 12 minutes straight. But this is Vegas; so the whole show is pretty much a giant finale to me (i except for the one time I actually braved the traffic to see the real show in Boston, im used to small townie fireworks…ones almost no bigger than the $700 kits you can buy in the store). So I thought this was a pretty big show.
Fireworks exploding from the back of the pool at Mandalay Bay Casino
It is really cool to be able to see the fireworks actually get set off; rather than being so far away you don’t see them until they blow up in the sky. I loved watching them come out of the cannons and leave trails all the way up till they exploded!
Crowd watches the fireworks from the “beach” at Mandalay Bay Pool
It could have also been because I was watching this from my spot tower about 30ft in the air and 100yards away from where they were shooting them off.
You can see how close the crowd is to the firework barges. Im just sad that I didn’t get to see the fireworks set a tree on fire this year (it happened a couple years ago)
The fireworks finale at Mandalay Bay. It was a great show!
And this is the finale. It was more red, white, and blue than in this photo (they shutter delay to show the trails make it look more pink, off-white, and purple – still a cool color combination).
So for all of you Americans who aren’t in America, or others who don’t celebrate the 4th of July (and why would you celebrate our Independence Day? That would be rather silly)…I hope you enjoyed my little slice of Mandalay Bay’s Fourth of July Fireworks Show.
And for all my British readers out there : HAHAHAHA, WE WON!