Boston's fireworks show is inching closer. The stage was almost set Saturday for a 20-minute show with 5,000 fireworks.
It's the first presentation at the Esplanade since 2019. Thousands of people are expected to watch the fireworks show at the Hatch Shell.
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"Usually, you don't feel the pressure until about five minutes before showtime, when you realize that you have four or five different platforms spread out over 700 feet," said Matt Shea, the lead pyrotechnician and display designer. "We discussed what we could do to make it look different. What we could do to continue the heritage. Make everybody get excited about the show."
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Officials outlined the security effort Friday, including a bomb squad robot dog.
Roscoe, one of two robotic dogs now working for the Massachusetts State Police bomb squad, was being used at the Charles River Esplanade during safety preparations Friday.
The area will be closed to the public on July 3, so no one will be able to see the dress rehearsal. Safety officials also asked people coming to see the show on Monday travel light, and weapons, alcohol, backpacks and glass containers are all prohibited.
"Please carry as little as possible, only what you need," said Jeanne Benincasa Thorpe, an undersecretary of homeland security, at a briefing Friday.
State police say they'll have uniformed and plain clothed officers around the Esplanade, a unit in the river and police dogs besides Roscoe the robot.
There will also be multiple roads closed and traffic diverted in parts of the city. Boston Police has asked the public to avoid using cars to get into the city on Monday.
Click here for Boston Police Department's list of road closures and parking restrictions.
