Normally, we don’t cover non-political events happening in other states, but when you happen to be in town for the largest annual fireworks show in the nation and have the equipment on hand to film it professionally, you would be crazy not to cover it.

While the mainstream media creates a circus atmosphere around the 2-minute long Kentucky Derby race, the Thunder Over Louisville (pronounced loo-uh-vull) event that precedes it flies largely under the radar outside of Kentuckiana (the name given to the area encompassing the greater Louisville and southern Indiana area). Over 700,000 people attend “Thunder” annually, however the overwhelming majority of spectators are from Kentucky and bordering states. Low airline and hotel prices around this time echo the sentiment that “Thunder” is still relatively unknown to outside tourists.

Thunder Over Louisville is actually two events. It starts with a six hour long airshow, dubbed one of the top 5 largest in the country, followed by a mind-blowing 30 minute fireworks display.

This year’s air show featured F-16Vs, Navy EA-18 Growlers, the C-130J “Super Hercules”, and countless other military aircraft that serve as a substitute for ending homelessness in the US. The show also featured stunts and aerial displays from local aircraft teams and others not associated with the military. One of the more interesting entrants was a large UPS jet that did a very low flyover towards the beginning of the show (UPS is a premier sponsor of the event and their main national hub is located in Louisville. So hey CVS…ball’s in your court.)

The air show is narrated each year by ex-military personnel in partnership with pro-military media. While we listened mainly to help identify the aircraft we were watching, the broadcast also serves as propaganda to promote our enormous military budget and “missions” overseas. The audio feed is broadcast on an array of speakers spanning much of the riverfront.

In recent years, Thunder Over Louisville has added a drone show roughly 15 minutes before the fireworks begin. It features approximately 300 drones that come together to produce both still images related to the derby and the state of Kentucky, and animated elements.

Lastly was the moment we came for. While New York’s Macy’s 4th of July fireworks show often claims to be the largest in the nation, Thunder Over Louisville remains unchallenged as the largest annual show in the country with not only the most shells but the most elaborate choreography and design. The show is produced by the world-famous Zambelli family, who made their name by designing high-quality pyrotechnic displays with elaborate choreography. If you’ve ever attended a Pittsburgh Pirates game at PNC Park that featured fireworks after the game, you probably found yourself floored by how elaborate the display was for such a nondescript event. That is also the work of Zambelli.

We set up a fixed 8k camera at the waterfront to film the show and we’re happy to report that our location was fantastic to capture the entirety of the display. We’re also happy to report that although the show is synced to popular [copyrighted] music, we were just far enough away that YouTube hasn’t picked up on it and muted the audio. So, without further ado, enjoy the full 28-minute long Thunder Over Louisville 2024 fireworks display.