From 560 feet above the pavement, workers inside Dallas' Reunion Tower started loading in fireworks and setting up launch sites for the 'Over the Top NYE' fireworks show.
"This show is so different than what most people understand fireworks to be," Pyrotecnico Creative Director Matt Peterson said.
Most fireworks are launched from mortars on the ground. The fireworks at Reunion Tower are launched from a few hundred locations, 360 degrees around the ball, and up and down the tower base. Planning for the event took nearly a year.
"We have over 5,000 pyrotechnic effects, 259 LED lights, and then this year we're adding 225 drones, something that's never been seen before in the city," Reunion Tower President Dusti Groskreutz said. "People love fireworks and I know they're gonna go crazy for these drones because it just brings the effect to this whole other level."
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Reunion Tower and Hunt Realty Investments, Inc. have made the New Year's Eve event a benefit for Children's Health.
For four days leading up to New Year's Eve, a team from Pyrotecnico will load equipment, 18,000 feet of cable, and 10,000 pounds of fireworks into position to get ready for a nine-minute show, starting at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
"It's always a celebration and a reflection... hopefully people will think back on the good, and maybe even some of the bad, and figure out how to move forward in a positive light," Peterson said. "Everyone should just really enjoy the show."
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The 'Over the Top NYE' fireworks are included in NBC 5/Nexstar Media Inc.'s Lone Star NYE show. NBC's Katy Blakey and KARK's D.J. Williams will host. The show will air on December 31 from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
