ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — In the city of Altamonte Springs, 4th of July festivities got an early start.

The annual “Red Hot & Boom” event held its 27th edition at Cranes Roost Park, which rounded up over 150,000 people.

What You Need To Know

  • The City of Altamonte Springs wrapped up its 27th Red Hot & Boom festival at Cranes Roost Park

  • Safety and preparation were top of mind for event participants and first responders in light of the warm temperatures and large crowds

  • Over 150,000 people attended the Fourth of July celebratory event

The event, which holds its reputation as being one of the largest Independence Day celebrations in Florida, included a variety of food vendors, music artists from all over Central Florida and a 25-minute firework show.

But with the Florida heat and large crowds, safety and preparation were top of mind for this year’s celebration.

It’s not every day that you get to see Santa Claus walking around in costume at a 4th of July event. But at the Red Hot & Boom festival, everyone is welcome.

Despite the Florida heat, he says he wanted to give people at the event a feel for Christmas in July.

“If I can make one person smile, just one, that’s the reason I’m here today,” he said.

And that he did.

Among those smiling away was Amanda Green, who came to the event from Port Orange with her family and a fully equipped cart by her side.

Green says that coming to the Red Hot & Boom festival brings her back in time.

“I used to take my daughter out here since she was a little girl. I moved away to Jacksonville for a couple years, so I came back and wanted to come back and see how it’s been,” she said.

Green was among thousands of other families that came prepared to sit in the heat hours before the fireworks started.

Many families came out to the Cranes Roost Park, equipped with carts of all sizes containing chairs, fans and water to enjoy the day.

Zeezee Loscuito was one of those people, and she says she’s learned from experience to only pack the essentials.

The Altamonte Springs resident has been coming to this festival for the past six years.

“I brought my chairs, one for myself, my husband and my son, a bottle of water that stays cool for 60 hours, a sun hat because I didn’t want rain around my sunglasses, and then we brought our fans from last summer,” said Loscuito.

Loscuito is also the mother of a young child and she says another priority that’s on her mind during events like this one is safety. But she says first responders that are dispatched here are always on top of their game.

To ensure maximum safety during the event, first responders planted numbers on lampposts all over the park for people to refer to in the event of an emergency.

“At the top of the poles there are numbers there, so when someone calls 911 they can say, ‘Hey, I’m having an emergency.’ We have them look at the pole number and dispatch relays it,” said Seminole County Fire Department Lieutenant Paramedic Dave Williams.

For each number, there are also tents strategically located all around the park with over 50 first responders readily available either by foot, by bike or by golf cart.

Williams says his team is always well-prepared, but he hopes to remind people that it takes a joint effort from everybody, including spectators, to ensure a safe 4th of July holiday.

As 4th of July festivities continue throughout Central Florida over the next few days, first responders like Williams recommend people to monitor the weather, stay hydrated throughout the day even when it’s cloudy, and to lookout for one another.