San Francisco got an unexpected show last night when a barge parked just off Pier 27 launched a full-scale fireworks display over the waterfront, catching most of the city completely off guard.

No holiday. No obvious occasion. Just a rainy evening suddenly punctuated by booming explosions that sent residents scrambling to their windows — and to the internet — to figure out what was happening.

Reports suggest the display was tied to a large conference or private event at the Pier 27 cruise ship terminal, though details remain frustratingly scarce. Which, honestly, is part of the problem. When you detonate what sounds like artillery over a dense urban area on a random weeknight, maybe a heads-up is in order?

The reactions were predictably all over the map. Folks on Russian Hill were reportedly cheering from rooftops, with someone yelling "we love you, San Francisco" into the night — wholesome stuff. Meanwhile, residents across the bay were less charmed. "I'm hearing it from Oakland!!" one local reported, while another said the blasts were "rumbling my whole apartment" from North Oakland. Several people initially mistook the display for thunder, which — fair, given the rain.

One SF resident nailed what we've all been thinking: "This should be a service — What is that noise in SF right now?" Honestly, someone build that app. You'd have a million users by Tuesday.

Look, we're not anti-fireworks. A spontaneous light show over the Ferry Building is genuinely one of the more magical things this city can offer. But here's the libertarian in us talking: your right to throw a spectacular party kind of bumps up against everyone else's right to not think they're under siege at 9 PM on a weekday. A little transparency from whoever booked this wouldn't kill anyone. The city presumably issued permits — would it be so hard to post a quick public notice?

San Francisco has enough reasons for residents to feel on edge without mystery explosions. Next time, just tell us it's fireworks before we check the emergency alerts.