Tempe's skyline soon will become a sea of colors.
The CBS 5 July Fourth Tempe Town Lake Festival will take place at Tempe Beach Park, located at the intersection of Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway.
The fireworks display, sponsored by SRP, will appear from 9 to 10 p.m.
Travis Dray, Tempe special events supervisor, said he felt the fireworks show is one of the best in the Phoenix area. About 7,000 shells were fired from the Mill Avenue Bridge last year, and this year, the show is expected to be even larger.
"This year, we're shooting 14,000 shells, so it's going to be pretty spectacular," he said.
Dray said the family-oriented festival also would include a number of other highlights. Entertainment on the main stage will be presented from 4 to 11 p.m. and will include performances by local rock bands. There will be plenty of opportunities for kids as well, including inflatable jungle gyms and rock climbing. The Splash Playground Park, a miniature water park for children, will remain open during the entire festival.
Along more patriotic lines, there will be a flyover presented by the Luke Air Force Base Arizona Skyhawks, and parachuting stunts.
The city has made numerous arrangements to ensure there is a maximum amount of safety and security surrounding the event. Dray said parking would be available throughout the downtown area and at several ASU lots, including Lot 59.
After 8 p.m., motorists should be wary because the downtown area could be consumed with traffic, he warned. He added that the city may close certain streets based on traffic conditions.
Visitors will be able to park their vehicles and catch a free bus to and from the event. Park-and-ride sites are listed on Tempe's Web site at www.tempe.gov/tim.
Security will be extensive near Tempe Town Lake on July Fourth, said Sgt. Dan Masters, a Tempe police spokesman.
"On that day, a little less than 100 uniformed officers will be dedicated solely to working that event," he added.
Masters said such a large amount of security is "typical for an event of this size." The festival is expected to draw between 30,000 and 40,000 paid attendees to the Tempe Town Lake event and about 200,000 additional visitors to the downtown area.
Masters said security personnel will be very strict about checking visitors' IDs and looking for wristbands identifying their ability to purchase alcohol at the festival.
Tickets for the festival will be sold for $5 at Safeway stores until the day of the event and will remain on sale at Tempe Beach Park throughout the July Fourth weekend, as well as online at www.gettix.net. Dray said all the proceeds from the festival will go to the Kiwanis Club of Tempe, the event's producers, who will "fund that money right back into the community through charities and nonprofits" that may need a financial boost.
Reach the reporter at grayson.steinberg@asu.edu.
