Tonight marks one of Riverbend’s loudest traditions: the annual festival-closing fireworks.

Don Sharp, operations director of Friends of the Festival, said the Pyro Shows-produced pyrotechnics display will last nearly 19 minutes and include 6,188 shells.

The show will be synchronized to music of headline performers, similar to 2008’s fireworks show.

Mr. Sharp would not divulge much information at the risk of ruining the evening’s surprise but did say the show would have “a special opening ceremony” with officials from Chattem, the show’s sponsor.

“I can’t tell you what it is, but it will be pretty spectacular,” he said. “We’ll also have some surprises later in the show, some new fireworks we’re going to use. I think people will be really pleased.”

The fireworks will be shot from Renaissance Park as soon as tonight’s headliner, Little Richard, finishes his performance. Portions of the park will be closed today for safety and security purposes.

“The cooperation with the (Chattanooga) Police Department and everyone else on fireworks night is just awesome,” Mr. Sharp said. “We’ve gotten it down to where we don’t close roads anymore, so it is less inconvenient for the public.”

In past years, a prime place to view the fireworks has been Ross’s Landing. If you can’t get that close though, Mr. Sharpe said not to worry. The fireworks should be big enough for all to see.