Chicago fireworks show Saturday (tonight): where to watch; Lightfoot announces on-again display

Chicago’s lakefront will be illuminated by fireworks for Independence Day weekend after all.

The show will kick off at 9:30 p.m. Saturday and should be visible from multiple locations along the lakefront, as the fireworks will be shot higher than usual, the mayor’s office said Friday.

People should be able to view the display from Grand Avenue south to at least 55th Street, according to the mayor’s office.

The announcement comes after Navy Pier announced last month that its beloved Fourth of July fireworks shows were canceled for the second straight year.

WBBM Newsradio 780 AM and 105.9 FM will provide a music simulcast to go along with the show.

At a news conference, Mayo Lori Lightfoot downplayed concerns about the fireworks show attracting crowds to the lakefront after a series of mass shootings and the pandemic still going on.

“There are going to be large crowds at the lakefront regardless,” she said after a special city council meeting. “We have a significant deployment of resources along the lakefront, and we’ve been working with local aldermen to address those issues.”

She said that, with the fireworks visible from most points along the lakefront, they won’t be “specifically attracting crowds to a particular location. That’s really important.”

Contributing: Mitchell Armentrout