Baltimore Rings In New Year With Fireworks

BALTIMORE, MD — The New Year's Eve Spectacular drew a small crowd to Baltimore's Inner Harbor amid rainy and foggy conditions on Monday, Dec. 31. The event ran from 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve to 12:30 a.m. on New Year's Day.

Thunderball performed at 9 p.m. at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater.

A 15-minute fireworks show went off at midnight from two barges in the Inner Harbor. They were said to be visible from the Inner Harbor promenade, Federal Hill, Locust Point, Canton, Harbor East and Fells Point; however, visibility was limited due to fog.

Happy new year! There's fireworks somewhere out there in the rainy Baltimore inner harbor. pic.twitter.com/cmeyIjP8MM
— Lilly Chapa (@LillyChapa) January 1, 2019

Small crowd to welcome in 2019. #Baltimore celebrated with fireworks despite rain & fog. More ahead on @wbaltv11 #HappNewYear2019 pic.twitter.com/vM945jILZj
— Megan Pringle (@MeganWBAL) January 1, 2019

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts puts on the New Year's Eve Spectacular, which is supported by WJZ-TV 13, Visit Baltimore and Cruise Maryland.

The Pandora Ice Rink was open from 11 a.m. Monday–12:30 a.m. Tuesday. The first 100 people to the Pandora Ice Rink at 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve received noisemakers. There were fire pits to keep people warm.

Parking, Road Closures For New Year's

City officials encouraged those going to the celebration to take public transportation such as the light rail, metro subway and the Charm City Circulator.

Drivers downtown should park at commercial parking facilities and avoid area neighborhoods.

Baltimore Police and city transportation officials will be downtown facilitating the flow of traffic.

These areas will be closed to traffic from 6 p.m. Monday to 2 a.m. Tuesday:

• West side of Charles Street from Conway to Fayette Streets
• West side of Light Street from Fayette to Conway Streets

There will be no parking on these roads from 6 p.m. Monday to 3 a.m. Tuesday:

• Gay Street from Pratt to Fayette streets
• Calvert Street from Pratt to Fayette streets
• Baltimore Street from Charles to Gay streets
• South side of Key Highway from Light to William streets

These street closures run from 11:15-11:30 p.m. until the event clears:

• Pratt Street at Charles Street; Pratt traffic will be diverted north on Charles Street to continue east on Baltimore Street.
• Lombard Street will be closed at President Street; Lombard Street traffic will be diverted north on President Street to continue west on Fayette Street.
• Northbound Light Street will close at Lee Street; traffic will be diverted west onto Lee Street to continue north on Charles Street.
• Southbound Light Street will closed at Lombard Street; traffic will be diverted west onto Lombard Street to continue south on Greene Street.
• Northbound I-395 traffic at Conway Street will be detoured north on Howard Street. No access will be allowed onto eastbound Conway Street.

No commercial vehicles will be allowed near the Inner Harbor except for local deliveries. The exceptions are cabs, buses and mass transportation vehicles.

These areas will be restricted from commercial traffic from 4 p.m. Monday to 2 a.m. Tuesday:

• On/south of Fayette Street from MLK Boulevard to President Street
• President Street from Aliceanna to Fayette Streets
• Light Street from Pratt Street to Key Highway
• Key Highway from Light to McComas Streets
• Hanover Street from McComas to Montgomery Streets
• Pratt and Lombard Streets from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to President Street
• I-395 at the Martin Luther King Jr. split to Pratt Street

Photo Credit: Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.