The 2022 Festival of the Hills Fireworks Show will begin at 10:06 p.m. June 29. This year’s festival includes music, a petting zoo, inflatables, a rock climbing wall, food, fireworks and more.
By: Mary Beth Almond | Rochester Post | Published June 22, 2022
ROCHESTER HILLS — The Festival of the Hills Fireworks Show in Rochester Hills is back to kick off summer with a bang.
The fireworks festival — which Mayor Bryan Barnett said has been around for over 20 years — will be bigger than ever this year.
“We’re excited to be back, really, for the first time in a full-on Festival of the Hills in the last couple of years, since COVID. We have a huge show planned,” he said.
All are invited to bring blankets and chairs to the June 29 event, which typically welcomes more than 50,000 attendees every year.
This year’s free, family-friendly festival will open at 6 p.m. with music, a petting zoo, inflatables, a rock climbing wall, food and more.
The Rochester Avon Recreation Authority will be hosting cornhole games on the tennis courts and a fast-paced dodgeball game on the roller hockey rink.
Nearby, the Rochester Hills Public Library will be offering a take-and-make craft and a chance for guests to see the inside of their early literacy bus.
At 6:45 p.m., families can grab a bite to eat from a local food truck and bring it to their favorite spot on the blue diamond field to watch Disney’s “Encanto.” Tasty offerings will include cotton candy, fried Oreos, hot dogs, elephant ears, macaroni and cheese, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken tenders, and more.
At 10:06 p.m., guests can enjoy a fireworks show choreographed to music.
“The fireworks will be bigger than we’ve ever had in the past,” Barnett said.
Rochester Hills resident Brandon Shaya, who owns C.J. Mahoney’s in Rochester Hills, said his family looks forward to the event each summer.
“The Festival of the Hills is a fireworks show that I love to take my kids to every year,” Shaya said. “It’s an amazing family event, and I’m grateful to the city for putting it on.”
The event is free, thanks to many businesses — major event sponsors include GFL, Papa Joe’s, Beaumont Health, Pro-Line, Bolyard Lumber and Meijer, to name a few.
“Thanks to the generosity of our local businesses, we are able to host this event every year at no cost to our taxpayers,” Barnett said in a statement.
Earl E. Borden Park is located at 1400 E. Hamlin Road in Rochester Hills. Residents can view a map of the park, along with traffic routes and available parking, at rochesterhills.org/foth.