PORTLAND — Independence Day in the city this year will be a little bit different, and at the same time familiar.

Shamrock Sports & Entertainment, an international sports marketing firm on Commercial Street, is teaming up with the city, the Portland Symphony Orchestra and local businesses to produce Portland Pops on Thursday, July 4.

For close to a decade, Fourth of July festivities in the city had been organized by the Stars and Stripes Foundation, a nonprofit representatives from the Portland Press Herald, Quirk Chevrolet, WEX and the Maine Red Claws formed in 2010. The city funded the fireworks show last year after the foundation ended its involvement because of loss of sponsorship.

“We are excited to build off the heritage and history of former July Fourth celebrations in Portland,” Brian Corcoran, CEO and founder of Shamrock Sports and Entertainment, said. “We launched a new division of our company earlier this year – Shamrock Signature – focused on live events and experiences. We are committed to producing made in Maine sports, arts, cultural and entertainment events that provide priceless experiences for both residents and tourists alike.”

Although Portland Pops is free and open to the public, the event will offer a VIP ticket, which will give individuals premium seating, parking and Maine-made food and beverages. A reserved ticket will include parking, a beverage voucher and access to a reserved space with games and activities.

“We are still providing a free show for the masses, but in order to grow and make this event sustainable we are delivering front-row access for fans who are willing to pay for reserved seating and enhanced experiences,” Corcoran said.

This year’s event will include the return of the Portland Symphony Orchestra, which will take to the stage at 7:30 p.m.

Carolyn Nishon, executive director of the PSO, said she is excited to partner with Shamrock and the city for the event. It will mark the first time the symphony will be conducted by Music Director Ekhart Preu, who was hired from a field of 240 candidates to replace Robert Moody.

“We are thrilled to be back and excited for people to hear the orchestra and meet Ekhart,” Nishon said.

Nishon said the pops concert will include a mix of well-known classics, such as the “William Tell Overture,” as well as music from “Star Wars,” “The Avengers” and “Harry Potter.” The concert will also feature patriotic favorites such as the “1812 Overture” and several John Philip Sousa marches.

“This is a really amazing opportunity for a huge part of our community to come experience the city, our landscape and the orchestra and be together for a fun night,” Nishon said.

A 25-minute firework show is scheduled to begin at 9:15 p.m. It will be launched from the East End Trail, which will be closed from Cutter Street to the Portland Water Treatment Plant between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. the day of the event. The cost of the fireworks display is being picked up by the city, which has budgeted $40,000 for the show, according to City Hall spokeswoman Jessica Grondin.

To accommodate festival crowds, several streets on the East End around the promenade will be closed beginning at 10 a.m. All of Munjoy Hill and the Eastern Promenade will be closed from 4-10 p.m. Cutter Street, the roadway that winds through the park as it makes its way to the boat launch, will be closed beginning at 6 a.m.

Michael Kelley can be reached at 780-9106 or mkelley@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter:@mkelleynews

The Portland Symphony Orchestra will return to the Eastern Promenade next month for a Fourth of July concert, part of the Independance Day celebration organized this year by Portland-based Shamrock Sports & Entertainment.

« Previous

Preble Street workers unionize

Next »

Portland school urges students to go fly kites, among other things