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A truck loaded with 150,000 pounds of fireworks arrived at Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas on Thursday to begin work on New Year’s festivities.
The Reunion Tower fireworks show is one of the big ones, but there are also some new ways to celebrate this year.
For some of the larger events, the on-site set up began on Thursday. But the planning and coordinating began before 2018 even really got going.
Regardless of whether you're hoping for one of the big shows or something a little cozier, North Texas will have plenty of options ready to ring in 2019.
Crews were set to begin setting up the fireworks atop the tower for the big show at the stroke of midnight late Monday into Tuesday.
Organizers said it takes hundreds of hours to develop the concept, choreograph the explosions to music and then build it.
“It's a Texas-sized New Year’s Eve event,” said Dusty Groskreutz, president of the Reunion Tower Operations Company. “It’s the biggest one in the central time zone.”
The Texas-sized show is all set to be fired from 93 positions atop the tower. It will take 350 work hours to install before the big hoorah.
“It's about celebration,” said Matt Peterson with Melrose Pyrotechnics. “It's about celebrating a year passed and looking forward to the new year.”
Meanwhile, businesses in Dallas' bustling Bishop Arts District are gearing up for an inaugural New Year’s Eve block party.
“We've done lots of events, but we haven't done New Year’s Eve in the District,” said Jason Roberts with the Bishop Arts Merchants Association.
Organizers expect the event to draw in mostly those who live and work in the District, giving the feel of a neighborhood get together
“I tell people it kind of feels like the TV show Cheers, where everybody knows your name,” Roberts said.
Regardless of the celebration, whether big or small, it's an opportunity to reflect and look forward to the year to come.
“For us, it’s just a chance to kind of hang out with our neighbors and kind of talk about our hopes and our dreams for the New Year’s; what we want for ourselves but also for our community,” Roberts said.
Reunion Tower will have some new features to the show this year. They are coordinating with Downtown Dallas Inc. and the mayor’s office to have some of the downtown buildings be a part of the light show. They'll also show off some new types of fireworks.
Viewers will see more than 5,000 pyrotechnic and lighting effects during the show that will usher in 2019. Officials said the show should last about 10 minutes.