I've seen the Detroit Freedom Festival fireworks in person twice. During the very first summer that I lived in metro Detroit, a bunch of us from work took the afternoon off and went to Hart Plaza to settle in and watch the fireworks. We got to the site by 3 PM, the fireworks started at 10 PM. We had a great site and I remember lying on my back watching the huge fireworks going off over head, with just a bit of fear that they would fall on me. They were the best fireworks that I had every seen!#

The second time I saw them was with Ruth, may be five years ago or more. Thanks to work, we were able to get "reserved" spots on the river side of the Renaissance Center, another prime viewing location. We brought lawn chairs, and got to our spot shortly after work around 6 PM. A lot of sitting around waiting, but again the fireworks were awesome.#

When I saw the fireworks the first time, there were just a million or more people going into the city, finding spots along the river, and left to come up with their own entertainment. Now, with the river front greatly renovated, there is a festival that runs the entire weekend, starting last Thursday evening. Detroit has made a huge effort to make the fireworks family friendly. #

As much fun as it is, there are still a million or more people who come in to the city and I am not much in to big crowds. If we are to see them in person again, I would like to watch them from the Windsor (Canada) side of the river or reserve a room in the Marriott. In either case we would likely need to take the next day off work as we wouldn't be able to get home until very early the next morning.#

If you live in the metro Detroit area and have never seen the fireworks in person, I do think it is something you must do at least once. Residents in the area ought to be proud of the fact that one of the best fireworks shows in the U.S. occurs in their city.#