LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The pandemic canceled many Independence Day traditions last year, with one of the more notable ones being the annual 'Pops on the River.'
Rob Byford has owned the Library Kitchen and Lounge for over a year. He said Independence Day this year will likely bring in a crowd size that he’s never seen before.
“We're still building staff as well. We had more than what we had a month ago and more than we had a month before that,” Byford said.
Staff is one problem that he said he will face on Sunday. The number of staff he has is outweighed by the number of people that will need to be serviced.
“The reality is still that there are far more guests and people that want to get out and enjoy restaurants and live entertainment than the people we have to serve them right now,” Byford said.
He said his restaurant can only hold about 150 people, so the only other option will be first come, first serve for those that would like to dine in.
“We think that it is probably in our best interest to turn off our online reservation app, open table, for Sunday on July 4th," Byford said. "Basically because there's 30,000 people plus expected.”
Another group that is making a comeback this year is the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
Geoffrey Robson, artistic director for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, said the group was not able to perform at the event last year because of the pandemic.
“One of our biggest audiences of the year and we expect it to be back in full force,” Robson said.
He said he is ready to continue the long-standing tradition of performing in the 'Pop on the River' event for Independence Day.
“It's been long enough of a wait to hear something like this and we need a cause to celebrate. We'll do it safely and take care of our people and everyone is going to have a great time,” Robson said.
In 2019, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau said the event brought nearly 7,000 people to the area.
They are expecting that number to be much higher now that the entertainment district is fully re-open.