BATON ROUGE, LA — June 28, 2019 — East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced today the safety precautions being put into place for the community for this year’s Fourth of July celebrations in Baton Rouge. All scheduled events for Baton Rouge’s recognition of America’s Independence are scheduled as normal, with fireworks kicking off at 9:00 p.m.
Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our citizens and visitors, because the Mississippi River is projected to be at a level that is above the lower steps on the river side of the Baton Rouge levee system, beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, all pedestrian and vehicle access to the levee will be prohibited, beginning where the levee passes underneath Interstate 10, going north to North Street.
Pedestrian traffic will be allowed on the levee during the daytime of July 4, ending at 5 p.m. Traditionally, citizens and visitors view the annual late-night fireworks display from atop the levee; however, this year due to the height of the river, the levee will not be available to the public for viewing of the fireworks.
“We are excited about our community celebrating the 50th Annual WBRZ’s Fireworks on the Mississippi, which is the largest fireworks show in Louisiana,” said Mayor-President Broome. “This year, because the Mississippi River is projected to be at a level that is above the lower steps of our levee, and because we prioritize the safety of our citizens, beginning at 5 p.m. our public safety personnel will be prohibiting all pedestrian and vehicular access to the levee. Both our Baton Rouge Police officers and barricades will be staged along the levee so that we have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day.”
“While this year citizens cannot view the fireworks from the levee, we have worked with several partners to provide a number of public locations downtown where everyone can enjoy a great view of the outstanding fireworks show. In addition, the USS Kidd July 4th Spectacular is scheduled adjacent to the USS Kidd Veterans Museum, with all entertainment and activities planned. We encourage all residents and visitors to come and enjoy downtown Baton Rouge for a full day of festivities, capped off with a nighttime display of spectacular fireworks over the river.”
Public works crews will begin staging barricades along River Road on Monday, July 1, between Convention Street and North Street. Citizens should be aware these barricades are for staging preparations only in advance of the 4th of July, and are not related to any risk of the river overtopping the levee.