ST. LOUIS – Thousands of people flocked downtown for the Celebrate St. Louis fireworks show Thursday night, as the show was able to go on despite threats of rain and thunderstorms.

The display, which is one of the most recognizable in the nation, draws people from across the country to St. Louis. The tradition also serves as a homecoming for many.

Katie Hovis and Kat Asfour, high school friends from Belleville, Illinois, say they wouldn’t miss it for the world. Hovis, who lives in Ohio now, says she loves making it back for the Fourth of July.

“It’s exhilarating! Because you know, we’re all here for the same thing, to celebrate the Fourth and see the fireworks,” Hovis said.

Asfour thinks St. Louis offers something other cities can’t.

“I personally love St. Louis, because you can go to any city and get a skyline of a bunch of buildings, but this is the only place in the world where you get the Arch,” she said.

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While many locals made it downtown for the big show, it was also a chance for St. Louis to show-off to first-time visitors.

Sandra Stafford made the trip from Jonesboro, Arkansas with her daughter and granddaughter. She said everyone was friendly, and they enjoyed checking out all St. Louis has to offer.

“I think it’s a great city to be in. It’s something different we did. We’re from Arkansas, so we tried to change the pace up and make it fun,” Stafford said.

Angie Betancourt came up from Miami to visit family for the first time in St. louis. She said she was very impressed with the area around Busch Stadium.

“It’s a beautiful city, very upkept, clean… it’s very nicely set up. There was music playing, people walking around… a really nice atmosphere,” she said.

The big threat to the fun this Independence Day was, of course, the weather. But, as the night went on, people were happy to see it stayed dry enough for everyone to come together and celebrate.

Hovis said it was especially worrisome for her, since she made the trip home just to celebrate.

“I’ve been worried all week, especially since I came out of town. I’m like, ‘What do I pack? What do I bring?’ Like, I have no clue. I didn’t pack until, like, two hours before I left. But I’m just so happy the rain is holding out for everybody,” she said.

You can watch the Celebrate St. Louis fireworks show in its entirety below:

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