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Thousands Expected To Pack Downtown For July 4th Events

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Thousands of people will pack Downtown Pittsburgh throughout the day today. The main attraction is the fireworks show, but that's not only thing going on.

As of noon, there were significant traffic delays due to the Pittsburgh Pirates game starting at 1:35 p.m. in addition to events at Heinz Field and the EQT Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta.

People were heading over to The Point to get the perfect spot for the boat races, which are set to get underway at 2 p.m.

"We're talking about Formula 2. Those are the big beasts in the river. Those are the ones that will hit 125 mph if all the conditions are perfect to do so," Mike Dongilli with the EQT Three Rivers Regatta said.

The good news is that the river looks better than yesterday.

"Much better than it did yesterday. We had quite a bit of debris floating around yesterday. We also had a flow that was pretty fast and quick that has since subsided and the fact we didn't have substantial rain here yesterday hepped held the debris in check so it looks good for racing," Dongilli said. "At 7 tonight, we'll crown a new North American champion in the F-2 classification."

If you're planning on seeing the big fireworks show tonight, you might want to head out early. There was hardly any space left on the grass for last night's fireworks show.

"Tonight is the real big one. That one was a little bit more intimate experience and we had people right here on the front lawn. But, tonight is when everybody really comes down to enjoy one of the biggest firework shows in the country," Dongilli said.

Tonight's fireworks show is expected to begin around 935 p.m.

Also, the stages will be busy with music both at The Point and at the Rivers Casino.

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