Preparations underway for America’s Party fireworks show

On the eve of one of the nation’s largest annual New Year’s fireworks show, the architect of America’s Party scanned the valley from the Treasure Island rooftop.

“There’s just no place like Vegas,” said Phil Grucci, president and CEO of Fireworks by Grucci.

Grucci and his crew of 70, which includes several family members, are putting on America’s Party for the 11th time in the fireworks show’s 15-year history. A New York native, Grucci and his work have become a staple of the Las Vegas party scene. From holiday celebrations to casino openings, Fireworks by Grucci has popped fireworks across valley skies since the early 1980s.

“It’s our second home,” said Grucci, a fifth-generation pyrotechnist in the family business. “We live both in New York and Las Vegas.”

Though his company runs several annual New Year’s shows in different parts of the world, including the Maldive Islands, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Grucci prefers to stay in Vegas. He says he’s obsessed with making sure his America’s Party is the best it has ever been — every year.

“We want to deliver that robust performance that Vegas commands,” Grucci said.

While traditional fireworks shows aim for big blasts or, as Grucci calls it, the awe factor, America’s Party is much shorter than a typical Fourth of July fireworks show. With a focus on consistency and synchronization, the New Year’s display is designed to impress an expected Vegas audience of more than 340,000.

“The Vegas audience is keen to a more robust performance,” he said. “You can’t hold a crowd on the Strip with a grassy field, Fourth of July ‘oh and ah’ type of performance.”

With the use of 80,000 pyrotechnic devices and a length of just 7 minutes and 11 seconds, the 2015 version of America’s Party is neither its largest nor longest show to date. But what makes the show great, according to Grucci, is the design and detail of the fireworks — launched together and synced to music.

“It’s better by being different,” Grucci explained. “The quantity isn’t established from the beginning, because then you’re bringing it down to a commodity. It’s like saying you need this many buckets of paint to paint a beautiful picture or that many music notes to compose a song.”

Grucci’s employees agree. Per annual tradition, they’ll be watching the annual show from the roof of the Rio with their boss. Loading fireworks on the roof of Treasure Island on Tuesday, longtime pyrotechnist Anthony Magno smiled as Grucci described the importance of launching the right fireworks at the right time.

“He’ll always notice the one silver firework accidentally included in the sea of red,” Magno laughed.

Though Grucci’s show has been a success during its first 10 years in Las Vegas, Wednesday’s performance could be at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Standing in the way of America’s Party is a forecast of wind gusts and freezing temperatures, according to the National Weather Service. A high of only 38 degrees and lows in the 20s could make Wednesday the coldest New Year’s Eve in the valley since 2010.

For America’s Party to be canceled, sustained winds would need to reach at least 10 mph during the night hours, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Stachelski in Las Vegas.

Though wind speeds could reach between 10 and 15 mph Wednesday morning, they’re expected to drop to between 6 and 12 miles per hour by 4 p.m., Stachelski said.

Starting at 5 p.m., the Nevada Highway Patrol will close the off-ramps from Interstate 15 onto eastbound Tropicana Avenue, Flamingo Road and Spring Mountain Road. At 6:30 p.m., all roads leading to Las Vegas Boulevard will be closed to vehicles, and open to pedestrians.

For an easier entry and exit to America’s Party, people driving to the Strip are encouraged to arrive early or park outside road closures and walk. While the New Year’s celebration usually ends about 1:30 a.m. and police start removing barricades, I-15 ramps and surface streets are not scheduled to reopen until 3:30 a.m.

Those younger than 18 won’t be allowed to stay on the Strip after 6 p.m. due to curfew, unless they are with a parent or adult legal guardian.

In addition to planned road closures, NDOT public information officer Tony Illia said additional road closures earlier in the day are also possible. Though several public snow plow and and road salt services are available in case of an emergency, cold temperatures and snow accumulation could still result in dangerous driving conditions, according to Illia.

Illia advised America’s Party participants to allow for double the amount of time on Wednesday usually budgeted for car travel.

“Be aware of your surroundings and give yourself that extra space for accelerating and braking,” he said. “Especially in these conditions.”

“Just don’t be in a rush,” added Metro spokesman Jesse Roybal, “and make sure you have a designated driver if you’re going to consume alcohol.”

Similar to previous years, Las Vegas police also have set up a New Year’s Eve text messaging system for the public. Starting at 4 p.m., anyone can text the word ‘info’ to (702) 800-6776 for information on traffic updates, road closures and reopenings.

Review-Journal reporter Kimber Laux contributed to this report.

Contact reporter Chris Kudialis at ckudialis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Follow him on Twitter @kudialisrj.