BATON ROUGE – The 49th annual showing of WBRZ’s Fireworks on the Mississippi rocketed into the air late Wednesday night.

It’s an annual 4th of July tradition in Baton Rouge.

The fireworks show attracts thousands of people on either side of the river.

Each year, 4,000 fireworks blast into the sky.

"If you shoot off a few big shells and the crowd just loves it, that's the payoff for me," said pyrotechnician Brandon Spear with J&M Displays.

Spear and the company handle the show.

Spear and his fellow pyro-specialists spend three and a half days on top a scorching barge at Verret Shipyard in Plaquemine setting up the fireworks presentation.

Relive the last 150 seconds HERE.

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