Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular: How to watch and everything you need to know

It’s a big year for the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, as the annual July Fourth show returns Saturday night to celebrate not only the holiday but also the 250th anniversary of the founding of America.

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From how to watch the festivities to all the details on the fireworks and musical performances, here’s everything you need to know ahead of this weekend’s event.

If you can’t make it down to the Charles River Esplanade, there are plenty of ways to watch the show at home.

Locally, WHDH-TV Channel 7 will broadcast the concert for viewers in the Boston area, from 7-9:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will stream live in its entirety on CNN.com and the CNN app.

CNN will also air portions of the show live on TV as part of the network’s special coverage of July Fourth celebrations around the country. At 6 p.m., Anderson Cooper and Pamela Brown will take over to anchor the coverage, broadcasting from the Esplanade.

The event has two soaring showstoppers planned, including a Revolutionary-themed drone display during the Pops’ performance of the “1812 Overture.” According to the BSO website, the drone show will begin at 9 p.m., with the fireworks set for 9:15 p.m. The fireworks display, which will last for around 15 minutes, will illuminate the skies while choreographed to music from the orchestra.

Another star-studded musical lineup is in store for Saturday’s July Fourth concert, with Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Jane Lynch serving as the evening’s host. Joining conductor Keith Lockhart and the Pops this year will be a trio of Grammy winners, including country singer Lainey Wilson, hip-hop star Chance The Rapper, and New Orleans jazz musician Trombone Shorty. Tony- and Grammy-nominated actress Megan Hilty will perform as well.

In addition to the fireworks and big-name acts, the festivities will include a showcase of two new pieces by American composers. One of the works, commissioned by the Pops, features Massachusetts poet laureate Regie Gibson’s poem “Song of Massachusetts” set to a score by BSO composer chair Carlos Simon. The second piece is “Spirit of America,” composed by James M. Stephenson.

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Also performing alongside the Pops this year will be members of the Boston Children’s Chorus, Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and the USS Constitution Color Guard, plus Pelin Su Yavuz, a pianist from Berklee College of Music.

Drawing hundreds of thousands of attendees to the Esplanade, the annual event at the Hatch Shell (47 David G. Mugar Way) is free and open to the public to attend on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans who want to join the fun in person should make their way to the Oval (the grassy area in front of the Hatch Shell) opening at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Attendees are encouraged to take public transportation to the event, with the Green Line’s Arlington stop and the Red Line’s Charles-MGM stop as the closest stations to the festivities on the Esplanade. Those who want to watch from the Cambridge side of the river can take the Red Line to the Kendall and Central Square stations.

Also available first-come, first-served, the accessible seating area is located in the Oval, to the right of the Hatch Shell, with visitors seated there able to bring one guest (who’s allowed to have a folding chair with them). The event will have American Sign Language interpretation available as well, with the accessible seating area closing at 6 p.m. or when capacity is reached.

A number of concessions will be on hand for attendees, plus activities like constructing a giant American flag using Legos, with pre-built blocks assembled for the event courtesy of libraries in Methuen, New Bedford, Pittsfield, and Worcester.

While chair rentals will not be available on site, visitors are allowed to bring folding/beach chairs, blankets or tarps (no larger than 10-by-10 feet), and pop-up tents or canopies without sides (no larger than 10-by-10 feet — and must be taken down by 6 p.m.). Other allowed items include coolers with a single handle or shoulder strap (wheeled coolers not allowed), as well as liquids in sealed, clear plastic containers (no larger than 2 liters in size — and cannot contain alcohol or pre-mixed beverages).

Additional items on the prohibited list for the event include backpacks, weapons, firearms, sharp objects, fireworks, glass containers, grills, propane tanks, open flames, plus drones and unmanned aerial vehicles. Bicycles will also not be allowed past the checkpoints at the Oval or the island/lagoon areas. For more information on this year’s show, check out bso.org/boston-pops-fireworks-spectacular.

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