Fireworks celebrating Juneteenth are planned in downtown Jackson on the same night dancers in the USA International Ballet Competition will be on stage at Thalia Mara Hall.
The fireworks exhibit, planned for June 16 and sponsored by Downtown Jackson Partners, is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m., about an hour before the ballet competition that night is over.
“I hope it doesn’t cause a dancer to misstep,” said Mona Nicholas, executive director of the USA IBC that will be in town June 10-24.
Moving the start of the fireworks display to 10 p.m. would improve the situation, she said.
“An hour later would be better because the competition that night will be done and people will be heading out and they would get to see it,” she said.
If Nicholas had her way, she would prefer the fireworks exhibition be scheduled on June 18 when there is no IBC performance that night.
“I was hoping it would fall on a ‘dark day’ when there is no competition and everyone in town for the competition could enjoy it,” she said.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The federal observance is June 19.
The USA IBC will feature 100 dancers across the globe who will show off their artistry and athleticism and compete for bronze, silver and gold medals.
The event also draws an international audience from the dance world.
The last USA IBC, which was held in 2018 in Jackson, drew 40,400 attendees to downtown and generated an estimated economic impact of $12.5 million.
