Thanks to Hank Williams Jr and what promises to be one of the largest fireworks shows in the state,  one Mississippi community is preparing for the biggest Fourth of July bash it has put on in decades.

The anticipated Hank Williams Jr. Natchez 4th of July Celebration on the Natchez bluff and  Miss-Lou Fireworks show on the Mississippi River are just a few weeks away.

Festival organizer Arden Barnett of Ardenland said the outlook of the show is good. Barnett said he anticipates somewhere in the neighborhood of 7,500 attendees with approximately 4,000 tickets already sold as of Monday, including approximately 300 VIP and sponsor tickets.

On Sunday, July 4, Williams will be celebrating Independence Day on the Natchez bluff with special guests Steve Earle and the Dukes, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band and River Dan. Gates open at 1 p.m. for the show to begin at 3 p.m. Tickets start at $55 while children six years old and younger can attend for free.

The concert will be wrapped up by 9 p.m. and finish with the annual Fourth of July Fireworks show on the Mississippi River, which is put on by organizer Sabrina Doré, pyrotechnic Curtis Elkins and the Vidalia Dock & Storage barge service, and a team business and individual sponsors from all over the Miss-Lou.

The fireworks will be viewable anywhere from the Natchez bluff or Vidalia riverfront and are not just for festival attendees.

“I’ve been told it will be the largest firework show yet in the history of Natchez and Vidalia,” Barnett said.

Both the fireworks and the festival are supported by sponsors.

“We’re very grateful to all of our sponsors, the City of Natchez, the mayor and all of the community,” Barnett said.

Information regarding how to sponsor the fireworks show can be found at missloufireworks.com/become-a-sponsor. Sponsors of the fireworks should pledge their donation by Tuesday, June 15.

Those interested in sponsoring the concert can email stratton@churchhillcreative.org.

To purchase tickets, visit ardenland.net/shows.