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For more than two decades, Altamonte Springs’ annual Red Hot & Boom event has delighted crowds in excess of 200,000 people and will return for its 25th-anniversary event in 2022.

Following a two-year, pandemic-inspired hiatus, what has become a yearly tradition for many families is back with an all-star lineup of live music and 13,000 fireworks illuminating the night sky on July 3.

But this larger-than-life, marquee event at Cranes Roost Park had humble beginnings in 1995, starting out as a marketing campaign of sorts for the city.

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Frank Martz, city manager for Altamonte Springs, said the park was once a “muck bog” and a borrow pit where construction projects would remove dirt. In 1994, when the park first took shape with renovations including the amphitheater, the city was eager to put the spotlight on what they saw as the hub of Altamonte Springs.

Thousands line the shores at Cranes Roost Park for the 2015 Red Hot & Boom celebration in Altamonte Springs. (Jacob Langston, Orlando Sentinel)

“The city did a survey in the late 80s or early 90s, asking people in the North Orange and South Seminole County area, ‘Do you know where Cranes Roost is?’ Most people said no. ‘Do you know where the Altamonte Springs Mall is?’ Most people said yes,” Martz said. “The city decided that we were going to shoot off fireworks and call it Red Hot & Boom at Cranes Roost. It began as the city’s way of teaching people in the region where Cranes Roost was.”

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After 25 years, Martz can safely say that the event was a big success and helped the city put itself on the map.

“We have achieved our goal and it’s become such a staple of the region. It’s the largest show in Central Florida, it’s been ranked one of the best shows in Florida,” he said. “On Sunday, we’ll have more than 150,000 people shoulder-to-shoulder in the inner bowl and we’ll have another 50,000-100,000 people within two miles of the show.”

Planning this massive event involves nearly a year of planning with dozens of people involved, and an even more monumental effort during Red Hot & Boom.

Workers set help set up the main stage for the Red Hot & Boom fireworks show at Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

“We begin planning for Red Hot & Boom in August, after the event each year. We have about 250 of our employees working at the event from a variety of departments,” Martz said. “Seeing a community feel like it’s being served by its government, in a way that makes them happy about being in Altamonte Springs, that’s particularly gratifying … We try to make extraordinary ordinary.”

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The event has a history of punching above its weight in bringing in nationally-recognized musicians. In previous years, the likes of Avril Lavigne, The Jonas Brothers, 98 Degrees and NSYNC have graced the stage. This year’s musical lineup features modern pop stars including Em Beihold, Sofia Carson, The Walters, JVKE and Nicky Youre.

While the music is sure to delight, it’s the fireworks that will really dazzle the audience.

“This is a 25-minute show. That’s a long time to have continuous fireworks, which is really a hallmark. But it’s the density and choreography that stand out. We shoot 13,000 fireworks,” Martz said. “That’s 10 [fireworks] every second. That’s awesome.”

Workers from Pyro Shows set up the bunker in which one of their technicians will fire off each of the mortars from the barge during the Red Hot & Boom fireworks show. Now in its 25th year, Red Hot & Boom returns to Cranes Roost Park on July 3, 2022. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

The effort involved ends up being well worth it, Martz said, as he sees families come back with their children and grandchildren year after year.

“I have pictures of my kids, when they were young, sitting on the fountain in the middle of Cranes Roost. I remember taking them to the fireworks,” he said. “My kids are all adults now. We’re into our second generation of fans, who started coming here as kids and now they’re coming back with their parents and bringing their kids.”

Fireworks light up the sky at the 2016 Red Hot & Boom event at Cranes Roost Park. (Joshua Lim / Orlando Sentinel)

Red Hot & Boom begins at 4 p.m. July 3 with fireworks at 9:30 p.m. at 274 Cranes Roost Blvd. in Altamonte Springs. Admission is free. Drones, large coolers or coolers on wheels, weapons, personal fireworks, alcohol, glass containers, pets and grilling are prohibited. Pop-up tents, blankets and tarps, folding chairs and personal soft-sided coolers are allowed. Parking is available at the Altamonte Mall and surrounding areas. For more information, visit altamonte.org.

Find me @PConnPie on Twitter and Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter