What it was like
It ends with cannon fire. Real cannons, synchronized to the score, and fireworks launched from the hill above the bowl until the Hollywood Hills themselves become part of the finale -- visible clear across Hollywood and the western San Fernando Valley. That is how the LA Philharmonic closes the Tchaikovsky Spectacular, and for decades it has been one of the most attended classical music events in the country.
Running multiple nights each July, the program builds through Tchaikovsky's most dramatic orchestral showpieces toward the 1812 Overture, the cannon shots and fireworks timed to the music for the kind of scale no indoor concert hall can touch. The Hollywood Bowl's natural amphitheater, the open-air evening, the orchestral drama, the pyrotechnics -- it adds up to an experience generations of Angelenos have treated as a full night out rather than just a concert, picnicking in the boxes and terrace sections, which is not only permitted but actively encouraged.
Bring the person you want to see a firework reflected in. The Hollywood Bowl is at 2301 N Highland Ave, Hollywood. These are the Bowl's most-attended nights of the season and parking fills hours before showtime, so take the Bowl shuttle from one of the park-and-ride locations.