Boomsday

:"This article is about the fireworks celebration. For the novel by Christopher Buckley, see "Boomsday (novel)"."

Boomsday is an annual fireworks celebration that takes place on Labor Day weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is one of the largest firework shows in the Southern United States and is considered a top attraction in the region. The event is held on Volunteer Landing and accompanied by live music and festivities.

Boomsday's firework display attracts over 325,000 spectators every year. Fireworks are set off from the Henley Street bridge (to a lesser extent Baptist Hospital and the Gay St. Bridge) and spectators can view the show from the riverfront, hillsides, or on boats from the Tennessee River. In 2006, Boomsday was expanded to a three day event lasting through Labor Day weekend, causing Knoxville to lose money, [cite web|url=http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=37573|title=Bigger Boomsday loses money, but will be back for 2007|publisher=WBIR.com|first=Herryn|last=Herzog|date=2006-09-05|accessdate=2008-08-31] and the city reverted back to the one day event in 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.ci.knoxville.tn.us/events/boomsday/default.asp|title=BOOMSDAY 2008|publisher=City of Knoxville|date=2008-08-31|accessdate=2008-08-31]

At the 2008 Boomsday events a group that calls themselves the Knoxville Cacophony Society hung a large banner off of a parking garage that read, "Vote Durden." The banner was a reference to Fight Club's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club_(book)] main character named Tyler Durden. The group also states that it was in protest to, "the unjust voting system that favors those in power through the two party system and the Electoral College [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)] ." They also claim that it was part of something they call Operation Doomsday. It has also been stated that Operation Doomsday is part of a larger fight against what they call, "Gary." Gary is supposed to symbolize the current corrupt system in the United States and abroad.

References

External links

* [http://www.boomsday.org/ Official site]