Denver NEW fireworks display to be ‘louder, brighter,’ officials say | Things to do

In proper Mile High City fashion, Denver plans to bring the boom to the top of two downtown rooftops to usher in 2025.

Whether you hit the hay early or celebrate until midnight, there are two ways to see fireworks downtown on Tuesday. At 9:00 p.m. and midnight, a nine-minute fireworks display will simultaneously go off atop the historic Sheraton Hotel and US Bank building in downtown Denver.

Denver began its annual rooftop fireworks display in 2000.

This year’s show is expected to be “louder” and “brighter” compared to New Year’s Eve fireworks in past years, according to Zambelli Fireworks Operations Manager Zach Taminosian and city partners.

When the time comes, Taminsoian will trigger the screen with a computerized software.

“It’s such an honor to be able to entertain a whole bunch of people,” he said.

The experienced pyrotechnician said putting on a firework display on a roof is a “boring” process.

“We’re up to 26 to 28 stories high as opposed to, normally, a traditional fireworks show,” Taminosian said. “That means a lot of stairs, elevator hoisting.”

The nine-minute fireworks display requires extensive planning, including setting up soundtracks, types of fireworks (“flowers”) and timing it all.

“People will always remember the beginning and especially the end,” Taminosian said, hinting at what could be a memorable New Year’s Eve show.

Zembelli, a family-owned pyrotechnics company that dates back almost 100 years, organizes fireworks displays across the country. The Colorado Rockies are among a number of professional sports teams that turn to Zambelli for fireworks shows.

Sharon Alton, senior vice president of the Downtown Denver Partnership, which co-sponsors the show, suggested viewing the fireworks display from either the 16th Street Mall, Civic Center Park or other open downtown viewing areas.

“We’ve had history in downtown Denver,” she said of what sets Denver’s celebrations apart from the rest. “We’ve always tried to do vibrant types of events to attract people … we have a lot of good private and public partnerships. The community is really helping us pull this off.”

Joining the partnership is VISIT DENVER, the “private, nonprofit trade association responsible for marketing metro Denver as a convention and leisure destination,” according to to its website.

“With the fireworks, with all the shows, with the live performances, the music, the hotel packages, the dinner packages, there are so many reasons to come downtown,” said Taylor Shields, director of public relations for VISIT DENVER.

“One of the things I love is that there are different New Years for everyone,” Shields said.

As a supplement to rooftop fireworks in Denver this year, the ball toss is at 9pm and midnight at the Mile High Tree in Civic Center Park. The final Mile High Drone Show of the year begins at 5:30 p.m. Recommended locations for the drone show include Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus and Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Center.

Other festivities include Denver All Access NEW Bar Crawl, Decadence electronic music festival at the Colorado Convention Center, New Year’s Eve dinner at the Children’s Museumthe Denver Black Tie NEW balloon drop party, White Rose Gala Gatsby and some pop-up holiday bars.

For a complete list and schedule, check denver.org website.

In an effort to curb impaired driving for New Year’s Eve, the regional transportation district is offering rides on light rail trains and buses from 19 Tuesday to Wednesday at 7, thanks to sponsor Molson Coors.