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AmericaFest brings West Coast’s largest fireworks show
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By Pasadena Weekly Staff
he Rose Bowl celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, but first it’s honoring America’s birthday with the 96th AmericaFest celebration. Set for Monday, July 4, to Saturday, July 9, the event was shuttered in 2020 and host to go virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic. AmericaFest returned to in-person in 2021, adding a poignancy to last year’s events. “We came back last year after one year of not being able to do in-person events, but with restrictions in place, masks, a decreased capacity,” said Meredith Thomas, the Rose Bowl Stadium communications director. “So, for a venue that turns 100 (years old) this October, to celebrate America’s Birthday, in America’s stadium, in-person, following that, is just remarkable. To have guests come through our gates again is very special for us, it is not something we take for granted.” AmericaFest will kick off with a 30-minute show by TNT Freestyle Motocross. Riders perform stunts and jumps in this Rose Bowl encore act. Drake Milligan, who just appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” follows. (See related story.) The evening’s events culminate in the largest, longest-running fireworks display on the West Coast, courtesy of Rialto-based Pyro Spectaculars by Souza. The company has been bringing firework displays to the Rose Bowl for the last 35 years. Opened in October 1922, the Rose Bowl Stadium was designed by architect Myron Hunt, based on New Haven, Connecticut’s Yale Bowl. The National Historic Landmark has played host to the annual college football showdown, The Rose Bowl, and the NFL’s Super Bowl in 1977, 1980, 1983, 1987 and 1993. Musicians including Beyoncé, Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones have made appearances there. Previous years of AmericaFest saw acts such as soul singer Mendelyev, Maximo Marcuso and Michael Jackson tribute artist Michael Knight. “The Rose Bowl Stadium is so iconic for many things, but the annual AmericaFest at the Rose Bowl is an event that brings all of Pasadena, and beyond, together,” said Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo in a statement. Pasadena’s Independence Day festivities begin with AmericaFest and ends with the July 9 Palomino Festival, featuring the likes of Willie Nelson, Kacey Musgraves and Old Crow Medicine Show.
AmericaFest WHEN: Various times Monday, July 4, to Saturday, July 9 WHERE: Rose Bowl Stadium, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena COST: Tickets start at $20 for AmericaFest; $179 for Palomino Festival INFO: 626-577-3100, rosebowlstadium.com, palominopasadena.com 6 PASADENA WEEKLY | 06.30.22
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6/28/22 4:27 PM
