Will Smith treats New Orleans to Fourth of July fireworks
By Olafimihan Oshin - 07/04/21 06:58 PM EDT
New Orleans’s annual Fourth of July firework show is back with the help of actor Will Smith, CBS News affiliate WWL reports.
In a statement on Friday, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D) said that the “Go 4th on the River” will return this year with the $100,000 aid by Smith’s production company Westbrook while the actor is in the city shooting a movie.
“The gift of city fireworks was made possible by actor and producer Will Smith, along with his company Westbrook, who is in production on the feature film 'Emancipation' here in New Orleans,” Cantrell said in the statement. “The City also wishes to acknowledge the support of the Riverfront Marketing Group for helping to make the event happen.”
The annual fireworks show was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was going to be canceled again this year due to financial difficulties, according to the CBS News affiliate.
New Orleans’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness plans to set up an incident command post at the event with the city’s police, fire and medical services departments.
The event will start a 9 p.m., according to the statement.
https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/561542-will-smith-treats-new-orleans-to-fourth-of-july-fireworks
