Photos by Ken Pagliaro. (KPSurf.com)
With the scent of apple cider and hot chocolate lingering in the air, more than 10,000 people – clad in beanies, Santa hats, or wrapped in blankets – gathered on Manhattan Beach Boulevard by the Manhattan Beach pier on Sunday for the city’s 22nd annual holiday fireworks festival.
“It’s not just our city, but all of the South Bay comes down,” said Councilmember Richard Montgomery, who helped sponsor the event, along with Mayor Nick Tell and other local businesses and families. “You can sit with old friends, make new friends – above all, this is where you come together as a community.”
Manhattan Beach Boulevard, from the ocean to Morningside Drive, was closed to cars for spectators, who bundled up on blankets to watch the show. The night began with the Chamber’s Santa Claus float, after which children could play in the Skechers snow park and bounce park.
Clutching hot beverages while sitting on lawn chairs or blankets, friends and families listened to holiday music play downtown, among lighted storefronts. The fireworks concluding the night kicked off Manhattan Beach’s centennial.
“We’re looking forward to even bigger and better centennial fireworks next year,” Montgomery said.
[scrollGallery id=280]Photos by Alex Smith, Chelsea Sektnan and Alene Tchekmedyian
