Kaboom Town returned to Addison on Friday night with fireworks, food, live music and an air show packed into Circle Park, drawing an expected crowd of more than half a million people to the sold-out event. Gates opened at 5 p.m. for ticket holders, and the show was set to begin at 7 p.m. with the Red River Skydivers.
For Mike Gallaway, the night carries extra weight. He said he got his start as a pilot 30 years ago at Addison's airport, and this year he was back to fly in front of friends and family in one of the more fun events he gets to work. The lineup included an Extra 300 SX aerobatic plane, a B-25, a P-51 and several aerobatic acts, with David Martin scheduled to fly a Baron 55 in a night act before the fireworks begin.
The event is not just big because of the spectacle. Kaboom Town is one of the largest fireworks shows in the country, and Addison's annual 4th of July fireworks show has become a magnet for people across North Texas. This year's edition also carried a sharper theme: America’s 250th birthday, which Faith Alford said gave the celebration an extra layer of meaning. The Town of Addison added a birthday card and festive live bands with patriotic songs to make the show feel different from a standard holiday display.
That scale also makes the flying harder than it looks from the ground. Gallaway said the air show is a particularly difficult place to fly aerobatics because Southwest Airlines traffic is coming in to Love Field at the same time, forcing pilots to stay tightly coordinated around the airport pattern. The same crowded evening that makes the display more complicated is also what gives it its appeal, with the aircraft threading the sky just before the fireworks light up the night.
For people without tickets, several area restaurants were hosting watch parties, but the main draw remains the same: a one-night show that turns Addison into a July 4th destination. By the time the sky opens over Circle Park, the schedule is already set, the crowd is already in place, and the first act is ready to lift off.
