NATCHEZ — Fireworks erupted in the sky above the bluff Monday night as hundreds of people gazed on in amazement.

This year’s show lasted 22 minutes, and some said it was the best they’d ever seen.

“It was spectacular,” said Cynthia Reynolds, 40. “We just saw one in Orange Beach (Ala.), and this one was just as good, or better.”

Vacationers echoed Reynolds, saying they enjoyed the show more than most others they’d seen.

“We went to Vicksburg and saw fireworks there, and we thought it was awesome,” said Fort Worth, Texas native Debbie Addington. “This one equally compares or it might have been better.”

Sam Manning, 26, and her father Eddie Cotton, 65, said the only fireworks they’d seen that were better than the City of Natchez’s Fourth of July show was in Natchitoches, La.

“They shot some of theirs from the bridge, and that was really cool,” Manning said. “That’s the only one that beat this one.”

“The ending was excellent,” her father added.

Event Organizer Stratton Hall said this year’s Fourth of July fireworks budget totaled $12,500.

More fireworks are planned for Nov. 26, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10.