KFOG Kaboom

KFOG Kaboom once again delivers! Music was rockin, fantastic fireworks, Melissa Etheridge rocked it big time. Even in the SF cold and wind this was a great wonderful and fun event! Great job KFOG.

Well let’s just say wow about the fireworks! We had a birds eye view from my deck in Brisbane and it was just magnificent… Thanks KFOG you Rock. No pun intended of course!

I would give the 2010 version 5 stars in advance, but they moved it to Candlestick park! :(Booooo! What’s up with that. It’s great and all if you’re in the stadium, but what about us photographers who wanted to take amazing photos of the fireworks in front of SF icons like the Bay Bridge? Now we can’t. Still, should be a great time. And for some awesome pics of the aforementioned icons, check out

Have worked Kaboom 3 years now and enjoying the people i work with a ton@! We work hard and have a good time serving the public. Have seen some disappointing underage drinking and fights on the streets despite an active and ever-​present police presence.
Will continue to work it until the BART trip home becomes unbareable… Parents, please don’t let your 11 – 17 year olds go into the city and get wasted!

«Fiiiiiireworkssssss, makes me soooo hAAAAAAApppyyyyyyyy!»
*twirls and prances around*
Who doesn’t like fireworks!!!
Didn’t have to wait for NYE or July 4^th to come around.
Watching from the shorelines of Treasure Island was awesome.
No pushing. No shoving. No tall people blocking my view.
Spectacular view of the city with fireworks right above the Bay Bridge.
Clear sky. Low breeze.
Tuned into FM 104.5 as music accompanied the show.
It was perfect! =)

The fireworks were really awesome. The most awesome part was that I could see them from my Roof Top!
The fireworks were especially nice this year because they fell on May 9^th! Victory Day!

Last night was a great night for a fabulous fireworks display! I went with my mom, my sister and a family friend as a pre-Mother’s Day surprise. Four ladies checking out the San Francisco night scene! My mom told me how she loved it tonight. It was really cool to see my mom dancing to Los Lonely Boys who put on an excellent concert. I’ve always known my parents to be symphony folks and my sister and I were shocked when mom got up and started dancing. That was before we had any alcohol too! We tried many delicious foods from roasted corn to fish tacos to chicken gyros and funnel cakes. Mom even downed a beer like it was water! Thanks KFOG for putting on a memorable show! Your emphasis on sustainability was great to see. I’ll certainly consider returning next year now that I am a certified Foghead! Rock on, KFOG!

The music was average.
The people watching was great.
The fireworks were FUCKING MAGICAL.
The end.

Music was great, not average GREAT! Los Lonely Boys had a signer, most incredible thing I ever saw. I was in the mood for ice cream but not one vendor sold any! We were in the tortilla mosh pit — hilarious! People launching tortillas through the air. I just found it incredibly funny! We were lucky and sat near some great people. And the Fireworks were better than ace — AWESOME, over the top incredible! I thought the 4^th of July fireworks in Lake Tahoe were the best but Kaboom’s are far better!

We didn’t go for the live music which is $ 15 in advance or $ 20 at the door. We only went for the FREE Annual KFOG Kaboom Fireworks held Sat 5÷9÷09 this yr.
We were in SF earlier and stayed for this event. We went to Pier 14 and there were lots of people already that claimed the spinning chairs so we had to stand. They must have gotten there really early, because we were there at 8pm for the start at 9pm.
It was a clear evening, not very cold so it was Perfect Weather I thought. I still need to remember to bring a beanie & gloves though.
Earliest fireworks 9:03 or so, main fireworks at 9:10pm and lasted until 9:25pm. Tons of people all along the Embarcadero. Supposedly good places to see it around SOMA or by the Embarcadero. Along the Embarcadero there were some pit-​toilets available, Hyatt closed their entrances only for hotel guest, Ferry Building bathrooms were still open until 10pm.
Awesome fireworks. Smiley faces, hearts, rockets, lots of reds, whites, blues.
Recommended.

Those of you who know me by now have probably already figured it out. I attended KFOG’s KaBoom! last night yet again as a volunteer. The duties were quite simple. Volunteers got free lunch (or dinner depending on your shift). Volunteers got free admission. It’s like getting a free concert and fireworks show for a mere four hours of your time (only 2:45 were spent actually working on my shift).
Volunteer organization One Brick provides an army of volunteers for this event, and it was way back in 2005 that I first learned about One Brick at this event. In return for their services KFOG donates a portion of the proceeds to One Brick. Most volunteers are used to educate the public about sustainability teaching festival goers the difference between compostables, recyclables and trash. I’ve done that for the past three years, but I chose something different this year by checking ID’s and issuing wrist bands for festival goers who wanted to purchase alcohol. SFPD came back periodically to make sure we were doing our jobs correctly, but all in all it was a fun gig. It’s amazing how nice people are to you when you hold the one thing (the wristband) keeping them from the ability to purchase alcohol.
Once I finished my shift I was allowed to enjoy the event just like any ticketed festival-​goer. I’ll admit this year’s music didn’t really wow me, but Los Lonely Boys put on a very energetic show. Most of the time I walked around, chatted with other volunteers and ate. Besides that ice cream sandwich from KICKS that I’ve already written about I had fried calamari and garlic fries, fresh lemonade, bites out of a friend and her sister’s funnel cakes and a really gross teriyaki chicken rice bowl.
Shortly after Los Lonely Boys finished off their encore the big fireworks display lit up the sky. It was an amazing show under cool, clear skies. The folks at KFOG did another amazing job, and you can bet my volunteer hours I’ll be back again in 2010!

Does this review count if it’s only for the fireworks show? Because I have to talk about the amazing fireworks — even though I missed the actual events of the day.
Despite the fog, the fireworks were still amazing. We missed some of the big explosions, but they lit up the sky in a way that only fireworks can. There were enough lower fireworks that a spectacular show was still enjoyed by me and the hundreds of others on the street.
If anything, it’s the finale that should not be missed. The night lights up in the most amazing colors. It’s kamakaze in the sky!
This is the second year that we’ve witnessed these fiery blossoms in the sky — and I hope we’ll be back for many more.

Awesome. The fireworks where over the top. We arrived half an hour after the event officially started, and so had a hard time finding any space even really far back. The bands where good, los lobos maybe a bit weak (I guess by definition) and being so far back from the stage took out a bit of the immediate musical fun, but we still had a really good time. Weather was perfect, stayed warm for quite a while and only got really chilly towards the very end.
I would do it again :-)

I can’t give this 5 stars because we actually pussed out and decided to leave before the fireworks… and went to Palomino Restaurant and eat there while we watched the fireworks,
BUT with that being said, it was GREAT. So many tents of alcohol and junk food goodness. And here is where I popped one of my culinary cherries, and that was by eating a DEEP FRIED TWINKIE!
It was delicious. Was it the Twinkie, was it my awesome company, was it the beer? I am not sure, but I will be back next year with bells on!

Went to Kaboom last night and had a great time. Was able to meet up with some friends about 50 yds to the stage and here los lobos. The fireworks were really good and the music was rocking. I think it is definately worth it to pay the $ 20 and go to the pier rather than watching it from the embarcadero for free. Being right there with the crowds, music and the best view of the fireworks is great.

Another fun KFOG KaBoom! This year I was much better prepared than last year. Here’s what to bring/​wear if you go:
— Layers: It started out quite warm (sunscreen is a good idea), but progressively got colder. Hats & gloves aren’t a bad idea.
— Blanket: Bring an old ratty blanket to stake out your spot. But leave some aisle space so people can get through.
— Folding Chair: Getting there early to get a good spot + 3 bands + fireworks = you’ll be there for hours. You’ll be happy you had something comfortable to sit on.
— Snacks are a good idea, though there are plenty of food vendors there. Only sealed plastic water bottles were officially allowed in (though some bag checkers were more lax than others. Especially if you gave them a big smile).
Los Lobos had the crowd on their feet, but I thought Matt Nathanson was the best act. I enjoyed his witty repartee, and his cover of Jessie’s Girl!
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My review of KaBoom 2007:
KFOG KaBoom was fun!
Notes to self for next year:
— Bring plenty to drink so you don’t have to mooch off generous friends again. For some reason I thought it was going to be one of those places where you can’t bring in liquids. Silly me. If indeed they were checking for booze, they weren’t very thorough.
— Bring chair and a thicker blanket. Man, I was so unprepared.
— Remind friends not to accept brownies from kindly neighbors, lest they go home sick again.
Less one star because it took too long to get everyone in (we caught the opening band, but not everyone was so lucky).
The fireworks were fabulous! This was my first KaBoom and I’ll definitely try to go again next year.

KFOG Kaboom was great this year. Boyfriend and I started out at Pier 1 and walked along the Embarcadero until we hit the launching area. There was a good amount of fog (KFOG, that is), obscuring the higher explosions, but it was cool how the color of the fireworks reflected off the clouds, coloring the entire sky. I actually preferred the view from the other side of the bridge, like around Pier 14. Even though the bridge blocked some of the fireworks, it looked incredibly evocative silhouetted against the colored sky.
It was funny when the first fireworks went off and all the birds shot out of the trees. I don’t blame them– the show was incredibly loud because of the blasts echoing off the buildings. There are definitely a few frequencies I won’t be hearing again.

You know what old people love to talk about?
The WEATHER. Old people love to talk about the weather. «Wear a jacket because it’s windy, or Nice day to feed the birds.» At the grocery line – or ANY line – I’m getting weather updates. «It’s so hot. It’s so cold. It’s so windy.» I think one of the reasons old people talk about the weather so much is because they run out of things to say. Do you talk about the weather a lot too? Sorry to break the news, but you’re probably OLD. My retired Auntie Ginny is dirt old and she checks the weather every night. She doesn’t go anywhere, but darn if she’s going to miss the weather on the evening news. Then she’ll check the paper the next day for a second opinion before she puts her teeth in.
Expect good weather at KFOG’s KABOOM music and fireworks show. There are oldER people as well as younger people that flock to this event. It’s the San Francisco treat for both locals and tourist.
KFOG puts on a consistently good – scratch that – GREAT fireworks show each year (the weather has been picture perfect each time I went). In previous years, the live bands and sky show were completely free. The current $ 17 admission cuts down on an overwhelming crowd from flooding the venue at Pier 30/​32, but there’s still plenty of free viewing on the Embarcadero (hardly a cloud in the sky). Being on a boat in the bay works too. KABOOM is better than any Fourth of July in SF (another warm weather month). The 9:15 pm-​ish fireworks is synchronized to music playing simultaneously on KFOG. $ 5 says they play U2 (perhaps a Beautiful Day). There’s restrictions on what you can bring into the venue, but think comfort: something to sit on, blankets, snacks, liquids and a warm jacket (WHETHER you need it or not).
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2008 Update:
Dropped a star for 2008 KABOOM. I thought the firework’s music sucked balls. They opened with a Fantasia-​like overture then followed up with Tiny Bubbles? Gimme a break, this is suppose to be a ROCK station. Also, KFOG is working with the devil TicketMaster to charge $ 20 at the door. That is not family friendly.
On a side note, I avoided the crowds and traffic and saw the 2008 fireworks from Treasure Island which I wouldn’t recommend. The distance, fog, smoke and Bay Bridge hindered the view. For photo enthusiast, you might be able to hike to Yerba Buena Island for a better view pending the fog.

Usually great weather and a great weekend.
I’m totally looking forward to this year.

I’ve been to most of the last 14 Kaboom shows and it’s definitely the best fireworks I’ve seen in San Francisco. The weather in May usually cooperates and the synchronized soundtrack makes it that much more impressive.
If you’d like to see it up close and personal, we take up to 6 people out on our sailboat and after a couple of hours of sailing, we anchor off of Pier 30/​32, fire up the barbecue, pop a few cold ones & enjoy the show.
Check out Mission Creek Sail Tours here on Unilocal and our web site at
Fair winds and following seas!
Cheers!