Portsmouth’s premier festival organization, Friends of Portsmouth, brought in the Fourth of July over the weekend with the Annual Light Up the Sky event in Spartan Stadium, where they welcomed hundreds with live music, a plethora of events and vendors, and a fireworks display.

The group is known for hosting large festivals and events, from record-breaking achievements to Winterfest, Glocktoberfest and Festifall to River Days. The group stays active all year long developing opportunities for downtown Portsmouth and the surrounding region.

Light up the Sky is their effort to celebrate the Fourth of July in a big way.

“We absolutely love hosting this event. We love the tradition and are glad we can keep it going. It has been a lot of fun every year we’ve done it so far. I know there are a lot of fireworks opportunities, but, to have one in our community is important,” Friends of Portsmouth Executive Director Bryan Smith said. “For one, it is celebrating such a historical day for us and our freedoms. For us to have this each year is awesome. When you see the kids’ faces, it is obvious we are creating memories.”

The event featured live music, events for kids, and food from various sources.

“It was awesome. I’m going to say these numbers were greater than even 2021, coming straight out of Covid,” Smith said. “I looked up at one point and saw so many people in the stands, the areas surrounding the stadium was packed; we had phenomenal numbers and I hope we only grow from here.”

Entrance to the Spartan Stadium was free for those under the age of 18 and only $5 for those above. This is to cover the expense of the event and Smith says there are ample opportunities for those just wishing to see the fireworks.

The musical acts were reduced from a daylong activity to evening only, in order to put a greater emphasis on evening activities with spirited music and more condensed festivities. It also gave two bands a greater platform with longer timeframes to perform.

Luvdisk opened the evening at 6:30 p.m. and the Courtney Jo Band closed it from 8:30 until 10 p.m., ending just before the fireworks display.

“We had a lot more acts in previous years, but there is so much setup and breakdown involved,” Smith explained. “We wanted to streamline things more and give a greater opportunity to local performers, so we reduced it to two bands and increased their stage time.”

Smith was happy with the music.

“The music was awesome. Both Luvdisc and Courtney Jo Band did a phenomenal job and had a large audience there to listen,” Smith said.

The events also went well, with Smith saying the line for the waterslide was 150-200 people for three and a half hours.

“Kids were just going insane,” Smith said. “Everything was really, but that inflatable section was busy the whole evening.”

The fireworks display was dazzling for all in attendance, as well as those who kept to the surround areas, parking lots, and levy to watch for free.

“It was awesome.” Smith said. “It lasted maybe 20 to 22 minutes, which is what we were shooting for. Everyone was happy with it. I’ve had nothing but personal feedback, personally. I had people coming up to me telling me how great the show and event was.”

Light up the Sky is the first big event for Friends of Portsmouth this year and will quickly roll into River Days, Glocktoberfest and Festifall, and then Winterfest.

To stay updated on events and information related to the organization, follow them on Facebook or visit their website at www.friendsofportsmouth.com To sponsor the event, ask questions, or contact someone at Friends of Portsmouth, email [email protected] or call 740.354.7711.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved