Fire! Fire! Fire!

Ah, Independence Day. A time to enjoy your American freedom with beer, barbecue, and, most important, fireworks. Gary Avins, owner of pyrotechnics company Firepower Displays, has been lighting up Florida’s skies for almost twenty years, and he promises this year will be among his very best and brightest. The display at the Fourth of July Megafest at Bayfront Park will be the largest in South Florida. Best of all, admission is free. “We’re shooting a lot of custom designs with an emphasis on patriotic colors. Every year we try to do new stuff, and we have so many new shells we’re debuting,” says Avins. The Firepower crew is psyched to debut some of the new water-based shells, and the pyro veteran’s excited descriptions indicate that this year’s displays will be truly spectacular. “It’s like the difference between having a Yugo and having a Mercedes. These are shells and effects that nobody’s ever seen before. With the water and the reflection off the building, it’s going to be great,” Avins gushes.

Exploding palm-tree shells; red, white, and blue glittering comets; and shimmering chrysanthemums and peonies will illuminate the skies over downtown Miami. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the reggaeton-heavy bash at Bayfront, fireworks fans; the Biltmore Hotel’s (1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables; 305-445-1926, www.biltmorehotel.com) tenth annual A Gables Fourth celebration promises a 25-minute Firepower show, and residents of the Florida Keys can watch their skies light up with parades in Islamorada and Marathon and especially at the Lower Keys Independence Day Celebration on East Shore Drive on Summerland Key. Call 305-872-4878, or visit www.fla-keys.com. Visit www.firepowerdisplays.com.
Tue., July 4