Red White And Boom

I’ve been coming here for the past four years now. This show is, without a doubt, one of the best fireworks displays I’ve ever seen. No joke.
I only don’t give it five stars because of the need to wait, and then to work the system, in order to have the best experience possible.
First, and most importantly, buy your tickets in advance, up to a month before the show. That gets you in before the main crowd, and makes it easy to secure the best viewing spot, which is the back of the center of the grassy area, on the edge of the track. Any closer, or off to the side, and your ears get blasted unpleasantly by very loud, ground-​level speakers. And the bleachers, while giving a good view, get quite uncomfortable to sit on after a while. I’d say about 90% of the people are walk-​ups, so the advance tickets are VERY significant.
Second, avoid parking in the main lot like the plague. Get a street spot, it will save you a lot of headache. I made the mistake of parking in the third row of the lot one year, thinking it wouldn’t be too bad, and because of all the roadblocks and traffic re-​routing after the show, it took me over 3 hours to make a 3 mile drive back to my place on Piedmont and Cropley. I made sure, in subsequent years, to park on the street on the opposite side of the venue, and that saved me a 2.5 hour commute back, even allowing for the long walk. Unfortunately, local businesses have become stricter about keeping their lots empty during this event. So even if you have an advance ticket, get to the venue no later than 5:30pm to secure reasonable street parking.
Third, there is very little available shade. They’ve gone back and forth on allowing beach umbrellas into the venue, check with the City of Milpitas to be certain. Bring sunglasses and sunblock, as even in the evening it can be hot. And take layers, because the temperature can drop rather quickly once the sun goes away.
Bring your own food; they do have food trucks but they can be rather pricey and the lines for popular items can get long (especially for snow cones!). Just the standard «no glass bottles» etc. And your stuff WILL be searched prior to entry, of course.
Unfortunately, the bands are usually sub-​par in terms of music quality, but the kids might enjoy the pickup dancing that happens at the front of the stage. For the adults, I highly suggest bringing books or a fully-​charged phone or tablet to occupy yourself if you don’t like the music.
But that show at the end of the 4-​hour wait makes the entire hassle worth it! The show is quite long, nearly 30 minutes, and the most colorful and spectacular display of music and sound I’ve ever seen! As long as you get there early, park outside of the place, and are prepared to wait it out around the sounds of mediocre bands… it will be worth it!