SANDESTIN — Midnight magic will light up the sky over the Village of Baytowne Wharf once again as 2012 gives way to 2013.
The popular New Year’s fireworks show will begin with a burst of color and music that won’t cease for a solid 15 minutes in one of the area’s largest holiday displays, said Alan Meyers, the assistant director of Baytowne Wharf who oversees the display.
“Every second there is something going up in the air,” Meyers said. “We dread having any empty sky.”
Preparations for the big night began months ago when employees sat down and tried to compile a music list, he said.
When all was said and done, they ended up with about 30 songs ranging from Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” to Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds.”
“No one has the same taste, but we’re all looking for the same end result,” Meyers said. “It’s anything that anybody would want to listen to.”
The playlist was sent to Pyro Shows, the company that produces the fireworks, to match up 30-second clips with corresponding explosions of light and color.
The result will be more than 600 shells shot into the sky from a tower behind Baytowne Wharf.
Final preparations for the big show will begin about 6 a.m. New Year’s Eve. Five employees will place the devices in the desired locations and connect them to various firing boxes used to shoot off the fireworks.
Later that night, employees will sit with the boxes and flip the switches one by one to release the fireworks as they hear cues Pyro Shows placed in the music.
Meyers, who has worked on the fireworks display for seven years, said the process can be nerve-wracking because he always has to be prepared for a dud or one facing the wrong direction.
“Sometimes it’s just a matter of luck,” he said. “(But) when you hit that last shot and you hear nothing but roar and applause … that’s what it’s all about: the memories for the guests.”
This year’s show will begin at midnight, even if it rains, Meyers said. He added that it will be well worth staying until the end.
During the last minute, more than 230 fireworks will be shot off. Meyers said it will be clear to visitors when that moment comes.
“We end with a bang,” he said with smile.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.