Regulars around the Colony (residents, some visitors): Jim Carey, Nicky Hilton, Brent Bolthouse, Jared Leto, Jenny McCarthy

For years, one of our neighbor in the Malibu Colony and former chairman of Univision, Jerry Perenchio, graciously hired major fireworks company Pyro Spectaculars to create one of the best offshore fireworks show in the world (and spent over $60,000 to do so). This show provided an extravaganza not only to his guests he would invite to the beach on July 4th, but also to every house in the Malibu Colony, including the likes of Sting, Jim Carey and Tom Hanks, who would invite all their friends over to watch (as did anyone within a mile radius of the Colony).

Malibu Colony July 2010

Three years ago, Perenchio stopped doing the holiday show and left residents in the Colony frazzled for high-octane entertainment. Families canceled their get-togethers and headed to the Hollywood Bowl and the L.A. or Hillcrest Country Clubs instead.

Well, the next year, we were ready. One of the Colony residents (who happens to be my father) began fundraising for the show in late spring and raised the amount needed put the show back on. This family then became the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, meaning Pyro Spectaculars provides them with a radio walkie talkie to instruct the barge on where to stop and when to begin.

Further North up the coast in Paradise Cover, Ron Meyer of Univeral Studios gets together with his neighbors and does the same thing every year as well. That is why you will see two barges this Monday on the 4th of July.

Based in Long Beach, Pyro Spectacular is a family company and the only pyro-technicians granted a permit to load explosives from the Port of Long Beach, giving them the exclusive on offshore fireworks shows. For the Malibu Colony show, pyro-technicians spend 3 days loading a 150-ft barge at the Port of Long Beach with 33 tons of sand which prop up dozens of iron plastic tubes called “guns” where the fireworks will launch out of, like cannons. The barge is then towed by a tugboat up the coast to Malibu. Pyro Spectaculars provided us with a few photos of their pyro-technicians loading a barge at the Port of Long Beach.

Pyro Spectacular spends 3 days loading 150-ft barge off the Port of Long Beach before making the voyage to the gated Malibu Colony to preform the night's show.

loading 10" guns/shells, the ones Disney wished they had

Fireworks usually shoot off from the barge in Malibu Colony at 9pm - weather permitting!

Pyro Mike Crow at the Firing Board - on a walkie with my dad