Needham native Suni Williams should have been home from the International Space Station by now, but despite still being in orbit, the NASA astronaut made an early call to the Esplanade for the Fourth.

“Hi, everybody! I’m so happy to be here,” Williams said in a call with Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart. “The Fourth of July in Boston is the best place to be. It’s where it all started.”

The call came in around 12:45 p.m., less than an hour after gates opened for the 50th Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

Thousands of people from near and far – decked out in America’s colors – trickled in throughout the day, packing the oval in front of the Hatch Shell and banks of the Charles River hours before the patriotic concert and display.

Williams called Lockhart alongside her five crewmates – all Americans – on the ISS. And even above the atmosphere, the Fourth of July provided a special meaning for the astronauts.

“We are having a lot of fun, being able to sleep in a little because it’s a holiday. We’re all Americans so …,” Williams said before the crew sang America the Beautiful.

Williams and crewmate Butch Wilmore on Tuesday climbed into Starliner at the ISS and worked with flight controllers and engineers during a power-up of the spacecraft, according to Boeing.

This week marks the fourth that Wiliams and Wilmore have been in orbit. The pair took off on a test drive of Boeing’s new capsule on June 5, and at the time, they expected to head home from the ISS in a week or so.

But equipment problems and helium leaks popped up on their way there, calling off three potential landing dates and putting their return flight on hold.

“I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space,” NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said last week.

Williams and Wilmore can stay docked at the ISS through the end of July, while Boeing continues to test the Starliner.

Despite what could be an uneasy situation, Williams and her crewmates were in good spirits Thursday, with the Needham native looking forward to finding out whether she could see the fireworks from space.

“This is my first Fourth of July up in space so I am excited to stay up a little bit later, take a nap … and try to see them.”

A crewmate added: “Everything looks like fireworks when you’re up here.”

Lockhart, speaking with reporters, called conducting the Boston Pops on the Fourth a “great responsibility and a great honor.” This is his 29th year leading the show.

While Lockhart said he’s looked to “keep traditions alive” such as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, the concert sees slight alterations each year.

“Somehow we try to make it reflective of America,” he said, “which is difficult this year because America is in a very strange place. … But we are trying to keep it light and hopeful and seek commonalities which is what this day is all about.”

Lou Spelios showed up at 3 a.m., nine hours before gates opened at noon – a tradition for the Back Bay resident. After reading about and watching the annual celebration on television since his childhood, he learned showing up before the crack of dawn is required to get a close seat.

“I love this concert,” Spelios told the Herald. “I love what it stands for – choice and our ability to function independently. That’s what we celebrate, just being able to control our own destiny.”

After wet and wild weather interrupted the festivities for several hours before the skies cleared last year, Thursday featured similar muggy conditions with oppressive humidity.

Camilla Erices, a native of Chile, and her boyfriend Adam Provost, of Springfield, came out for their first Fourth at the Esplanade.

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“It’s been awesome,” Erices, of Haverhill, said of living in America and celebrating the nation’s 248th birthday in Boston. “I’ve been having a great experience. I’ve been living here for the past three years, but honestly, I have nothing bad to say.”

Provost said he has been trying to visit “all of the nation’s original hotspots” for the holiday including Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia. Being in Boston, he said he felt like he was “reliving history.”

“I just feel proud,” Provost said of being an American. “I feel safe, I go home and feel safe each night, and I know a lot of people don’t get that, and I am glad I do.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams of Needham made an early call to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. (Herald file photo)