A slew of 4th of July festivities lit up the night sky around the Bay Area Monday evening in celebration of the country's 240th birthday.
It wasn't just fireworks popping loudly after the sun went down in San Jose, but sounds of opera, drumming and the San Jose Symphony ringing throughout the summertime air at Discovery Meadow.
"Come out here, enjoy the concert, music and the fireworks," said Trung Nguyen, a regular at the Discovery Meadow celebration. "Perfect."
The show began around 9:30 p.m. and families were already staking out there spots by the mid-afternoon hours. Folks were encouraged to come early and utilize public transportation as authorities expected anywhere from 60,000 to 80,000 to attend the event.
The weather proved to be the biggest attention grabber in San Francisco.
Spectators along the waterfront had to bundle up for a foggy and chilly fireworks show.
"I definitely didn't expect it," said Jacee Garb, a visitor from Louisiana. "I packed a lot of shorts. Thought it would be a little warmer."
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A trip to the city by the bay to watch the fireworks proved to also be costly for some. Aside from buying a jacket to keep warm, spectators had to deal with high parking prices and a charge if they wanted to listen to the official music for the pyrotechnic show.
Away from the sanctioned fireworks displays, questionable and potentially illegal pyrotechnics could be seen in Oakland, Palo Alto and San Jose.
Jean Elle contributed to this report.
