Souza Family Lights the Sky for 4th of July AmericaFest at the Rose Bowl

In the hands of the fifth generation of Souza family pyrotechnicians, the largest fireworks show yet will light the sky above the Rose Bowl during the 89th annual “AmericaFest KaBoom,” one of the longest running 4th of July celebrations in the nation.

Paul Souza, the man behind the “Kaboom,” has been part of the show since an early age, including his first job as a ticket seller to AmericaFest at age 13.

“What I love most about fireworks is putting a smile on tens of thousands people’s face,” Souza said.

Paul’s father James Souza will join in the wireless operation of lighting off 3,000 aerial shells with methods that have been perfected over the more than forty years their family has hosted the show at the Rose Bowl. James and his father sold fireworks to the Pasadena Fire Department until he took over the show from the Fire Department in the 1980s and created what is known as AmericaFest.

When the Souza family immigrated to San Francisco they brought with them the tradition of fireworks, even doing the world’s fair in 1939 at Treasure Island in San Francisco.

“We have a tradition of pride in our family is the consideration of safety and that goes back to my great grandfather who lost his arm in a show where he went out and picked up what we call a dud and it went off, so since then, we do not do that,” James Souza said.

Souza’s dad was also injured hand firing with a torch in the late 1960’s. Since that day he pioneered electronic firing. Today with the fifth generation, it is not only operated electronically but also wirelessly.

“People need to understand there are two shows, one show is people who are on the lawn having parties around the Rose Bowl, which is fun, but inside the stadium the vibrancy with the crowd and the special performers, coming inside is really special,” Rose Bowl Manager Darryl Dunn said.

Inside the stadium viewers will see the special “Souza golden show” where the Souza’s created a special sequence to play the Star Spangled Banner by John Phillip Souza and fill the entire sky space above the Rose Bowl with golden fireworks.

The entire show costs around $700,000 including the 2½ tons of fireworks set off by 20 pyro technicians creating 8,000 fireworks effects.

“We want to encourage the public to come to the professional show, the largest in Southern California. In the past we’ve seen fireworks outside the Rose Bowl larger than fireworks inside the Bowl,” Pasadena’s Emergency Management Coordinator Lisa Derderian said. “We can’t afford anything less than a zero tolerance policy.”

Police and Fire officials will team up with a zero tolerance policy for all fireworks in the City of Pasadena. Strict fines and even prison time could result from the possession of fireworks depending on the amount.

Tickets for the Americafest show are $13 for adults. Check for live updates from the Rose Bowl on twitter @RoseBowlStadium and facebook facebook.com/RoseBowlStadium.