I often attend the Lake Havasu City, AZ Fireworks Festival. Above is the back of BLM land that I and friends stay on, about 1 mile straight to where the fireworks are set off.
In this picture, this is the same BLM land but closer to the highway.
I choose the back of the land as it has less people coming and going and it has the high ground we sit on to watch the fireworks from a distance.
A few years ago I attended the fireworks show at the racetrack where it is held in Sara Park. There is no substitute in seeing it up close provided the noise doesn’t bother you. Sitting in the stands you can’t take the full fireworks in as it is left and right at ground level displays and the same in the sky.
You are so close that when the motars are launched the noise is loud. As for the ground fireworks the heat is intense on bare skin.
I tried to go into the show again last year and it was about 4:00 pm for the 7:30 pm show and the parking was full. The year I went I went at 3:00 pm and slept in my Prius for a few hours before then getting inline to enter the bleacher area. Then after putting stuff on the bleacher to save my seat, I hung around until the fireworks started. Way too much down time and takes away from the event.
Each year they randomly set off fireworks before the show to help entertain the massive crowd.
Above is the view from the hill where we park for the night. Here you can see many of the ground fireworks as well as all the aerial ones.
Most years it is cool at night but this year it was kind of cold and breezy making it feel cold. I used my down overpants to stay warm. Of course down jacket with layers underneath. There will be a separate blog post on my down overpants and down booties.
Basically I dislike the cold so I need to feel warm. It’s a short hike up the hill from my camper making this the easiest low cost option to see the fireworks show.
Look what I saw at the MacDonald’s on my side of town. This guy is wearing the commemorative 30th Anniversary fireworks tee shirt, which is this year.
It’s also a pleasure to watch the ever changing sunset with a few fireworks mixed in sitting on the hill with friends having a good time.
Now if I was a diehard attendee I would get to Havasu about a week in advance and park across from Sara Park entrance on Arizona Trust Land as these camping spots are 1/4 to 1/2 mile away and no climbing a hill as you park on the side of the hill. I do have an Arizona Trust Land permit, and this to will be a subject of a future post.
Above is a snapshot of my OnXHunt software I use to locate what land I’m on. The green diagonal line is US95. It’s a piece of map just south of Lake Havasu City. The red pin on the left is Sara Park where the fireworks are set off. It shows of Yellow for BLM land but it’s used by the city and land rights remain with the BLM. The blue color is Arizona Trust Land and it requires it’s own permits to stay on the land but I’ve never heard of anyone checking permits. The pin to the right just off the bluebon yellow is where the BLM land we stay on for the fireworks show.
What’s important to know is that if you work at it you could even have better digs than I have. This year we had rain and a lot of it at the beginning of the fireworks event. I stayed in Quartzsite, AZ, an hour and half south waiting for the rain to pass. This BLM land is not very exciting as in reality it’s more like a sandpit. The good news is that it works for many that come for the show. Of course if your so inclined you could walk to see the fireworks and avoid the traffic.
I can’t do the fireworks justice with my iPhone 7 camera as in low light it just keeps on trying to auto focus. During the so called finale there are so many fireworks going up and on the ground display that your senses can be overwhelmed.
There were a number of new fireworks designs this year. One was like a rocket that went higher than any other firework that I have seen. At its peak height it has a small colorful display. There also seemed to be new colors this year with fluorescent colors.
The fireworks goes on each night until 10:30 pm and possibly later but our sitting around in the cold only lasts so long and the end we listen from our respective campers.
If your out this way in February you should try to get to see the fireworks as it’s a competition between western US fireworks companies and it doesn’t disappoint. Just bring warm clothing and a chair.
Brent
macaloney@hotmail.com
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