Boston Pops July 4 Fireworks Canceled Amid Coronavirus Concern

BOSTON — There will be no July 4 fireworks and no Boston Pops celebration on the Esplanade this year amid fear about the spread of the new coronavirus, officials announced Friday. But the Pops, which has been behind Boston's iconic Independence Day celebration every year for nearly a century, has a backup plan.

Instead, the group will present "A Boston Pops Salute to Our Heroes" to pay tribute to the front-line workers and honor those who have lost their lives during the coronavirus crisis, while also celebrating the nation’s founding values. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Gov. Charlie Baker praised the Pops' alternative.

"The Boston Pops’ spectacular July 4 celebration is a hallmark event for the Commonwealth, and we are pleased they have found a way to still share this tradition in a different fashion," Baker said in a statement.

Also on Friday, Walsh announced all parades, festivals and major gatherings will not be allowed in Boston at least until Labor Day amid ongoing concerns about the virus spreading.

Boston Pops and guest artists will perform new material as well as traditional Fourth of July favorites and other highlights from recent broadcasts of The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular online and via television and radio.

"We hope A Boston Pops Salute to Our Heroes will bring viewers and listeners the consolation, comfort, and inspiration we all seek during these challenging times," said Pops Director Keith Lockhart. "Please join us as we show our appreciation for the heroes of this epic crisis and celebrate the meaningful messages of Independence Day that unite us as citizens of this great and beautifully diverse country."

The event will air on Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, and Boston’s WHDH-TV at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 4.

The 2020 Boston Pops spring season, which was to take place May 16 – June 13, was also canceled because of the pandemic.

The first free Esplanade Concert was performed at the specially constructed acoustic shell along the banks of the Charles River in 1929 as Arthur Fiedler conducted. The concert was attended by more than 200,000 people, according to the Pops' website. It wasn't until 1974, when fireworks, cannons and the performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture were added, elevating the event to iconic status for which it is now known and attracting even more people.

Throughout the subsequent 46 years, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular was delayed twice, once in 1986, when the Boston Pops and John Williams were invited to New York to perform at the centennial rededication ceremony of the Statue of Liberty. That pushed Boston's celebration to July 5 that year. Then, in 1992, the concert went on, but bad weather forced the postponement of the fireworks until July 5. The 2012 concert was evacuated prior to the 1812 Overture because of thunderstorms again; however, the fireworks were set off as scheduled, following the evacuation.

In 2014, the event was moved to July 3, and the musical performance was truncated to accommodate the fireworks before the onset of Hurricane Arthur.