The metal barricades are out and ready for deployment and there are plenty of porta potties lined up along the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building Embarcadero Plaza is ground zero for the crowds coming out to watch the skies light up at midnight.to welcome in 2019.
“Here it’s wild you have to have a lot of patience,” said one pedicab driver.
Pedicab drivers working tonight are expecting it to be a busy night, but say it’s not easy money.
“People everywhere cars everywhere lots of people not paying attention and lots of drunk people so it’s not for the faint hearted,” the driver said.
For those looking to get around, the Muni will be free tonight after 8 p.m.until 5 a.m. Tuesday and BART will be running until 3 a.m. with extra event trains but certain trains will be skipping stops to help ease congestion–like stopping at the Montgomery stop instead of the Embarcadero and vice versa, so pay attention.
“The crowd is very intense sometimes you wonder where all these people coming from [and] how come I never get to see so many people,” said one embarcadero vendor.
This vendor setting up this afternoon says he will break down before the crowds get here, since it’s too packed to try and sell his goods.
But that’s not the only reason he doesn’t like to work on New Year’s Eve.
“The main event is to be able to join other people in the celebration right? Instead of just pulling in what you can put in your pocket,” they said.
The main event that will draw people to this area is the fireworks show, which you can see being assembled on a barge in this video.
Those working on the pyrotechnics say the barge will be anchored about 1,000 feet in the bay, off pier 14 with the best places to watch anywhere along the Embarcadero, south of the Ferry Building, higher elevations like Russian Hill and across the bay at Treasure Island.
Tourists KRON4 found trying to scope out a spot early say they can’t wait.
“It’s great to start the new year with a bang you know fireworks what better way to start the new year,” said one tourist.