Communities across Connecticut will celebrate July Fourth and America 250 with concerts, children's activities, food trucks and — of course — fireworks.
Here’s a list of Fourth of July events across the state.
Branford
Parker Memorial Park at Branford Point will host the Branford Fireworks on June 27 starting at 9 p.m. The rain date is June 28.
Bridgeport
Bridgeport hosts the Barnum Festival Skyblast Fireworks on June 26 at Seaside Park. The fireworks display will begin at dusk with food trucks starting at 6 p.m. and live entertainment at 7 p.m.
The Great Street Parade is scheduled for June 28 at 11 a.m. The parade takes a new route this year, starting at the corner of North and Clinton Avenues, traveling down Park Avenue and ending at Capitol and Lincoln Avenues.
Bristol
Lake Compounce is celebrating its 180th season with fireworks on July 3 and July 4 at 9:30 p.m.
The Bristol Blues, of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, is promoting a Red, White and Blues game at Muzzy Field. The game starts at 5 p.m. with fireworks following the game.
Derby-Shelton
The Derby-Shelton Fireworks are set for July 2, with a rain date of July 5. There will be live music by The Convertibles starting at 6:30 p.m. on Elizabeth Street and food stands to support the Derby Senior Center and Derby Elks. Fireworks are expected to start around 9:15 p.m.
East Haven
The East Haven Fireworks Beach Party is planned for noon to 11 p.m. on June 27 at East Haven Town Beach, 80-4 Cosey Beach Ave. Food trucks and vendors will be set up, followed by a live musical performance by rock band Gunn Street Revival at 4 p.m. and the RumRunners, which play dance, rock and modern country, at 7 p.m. Fireworks are expected at 9 p.m. and then the RumRunners will return to the stage. The rain date is June 29.
Enfield
The Town of Enfield celebrates the Fourth of July with events from July 10-12. Children's activities are scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. on July 10. Tribute band Garden Grove performs at 7 p.m. and the Dave Matthews Tribute Band, DMTB, performs at 9 p.m.
A 5K starts the day on July 11 at 9 a.m. followed by a parade at 11 a.m., children's activities at noon and a basketball tournament at 2 p.m. Live music starts at 3 p.m. with tribute acts for Kenny Chesney, Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers and Tom Petty set to perform into the night.
Events on July 12 start at 9 a.m. with a car show. Musical acts start at 3:30 p.m. Fireworks are planned for 9:45.
The weekend is centered around the Enfield Town Green on Main Street. Parking is available at Enfield High School with shuttle service to the green.
Essex
The Connecticut River Museum, 67 Main St., hosts the annual Independence Day Boat Parade on July 4 between noon and 3 p.m. The museum is offering discounted $2.50 admission for exhibits and children's activities that day.
Fairfield
The Town of Fairfield's Fireworks are scheduled to be launched from a barge in Long Island Sound on July 3 at about 9:15 p.m. The suggested viewing areas are Penfield Beach, 323 Fairfield Beach Rd., and Jennings Beach, 880 S. Benson Rd. Beach parking requires a season pass or a $50 daily pass. Parking, for a fee, is also available at Ash Creek Open Space parking lot.
Greenwich
The Town of Greenwich will host its fireworks display on July 2 at dusk. Spectators are encouraged to view the display from Binney Park or Greenwich Point Park. Greenwich Point Park will close to car traffic at 8 p.m., or earlier if parking capacity is reached. The rain date is set for July 11.
Hamden
Hamden's fireworks display will be held on June 26 at Town Center Park, 2761 Dixwell Avenue. Live music and food trucks start at 6 p.m. with the fireworks expected to start at about 9:15 p.m. The rain date is June 27.
Hartford
The Hartford Yard Goats celebrate the semiquincentennial on June 27 with a presentation before their 6:10 p.m. game against the Portland Sea Dogs and fireworks after the game.
Hartford Bonanza has become a tradition in downtown's Bushnell Park, 1 Jewell St. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will perform before fireworks, a presentation that organizers promote as the region's largest fireworks display on July 4.
The Stowe Center for Literary Activism, 77 Forest St., presents 6000+ Declarations of Independence and
Inheriting Freedom : An Intergenerational Tour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 4 as part of America250CT. Live interpreters portraying Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, and Josiah Henson will perform readings of freedom narratives and the Declaration of Independence.
Madison
The Town of Madison's annual Independence Day Parade will be held on July 4 at 10 a.m. The parade starts on Boston Post Road (Route 1) from Samson Rock Drive to the West Wharf Road and ends in the Surf Club.
Madison Cultural Arts will present a concert on the green, on Meeting House Road, on July 3 with the Lancraft Fife & Drum Corps at 6 p.m. and Wallingford Symphony Orchestra at 7 p.m. The rain date is July 5.
The Town of Madison Independence Day fireworks are scheduled for July 2 at 9:30 p.m. The best viewing of the fireworks, set off from a barge off the West Wharf pier, is from the town beaches of the Surf Club, East Wharf and West Wharf. Residents and nonresidents parking at the town beach lots will need a seasonal beach sticker or daily parking pass. Fireworks watchers are encouraged to park at the Route 79 Commuter Lot, Madison Train Station or Stop & Shop where they can take a shuttle bus to the Surf Club. The rain date for the fireworks is July 10.
Manchester
CT State Community College - Manchester, 60 Bidwell St., is the site of Manchester's James "Dutch" Fogarty Independence Day Celebration on July 11 at 4 p.m. Food trucks, a kid's zone and live music from the cover band Nightshift will precede the fireworks display. The rain date is July 12.
Middlebury
Quassy Amusement & Waterpark is promoting a 3D fireworks show at 10 p.m. on July 4 with viewing glasses available for $2 with processed benefiting Give Kids The World Village. A beach party with live DJ is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. with a separate $20 admission with 3D glasses included. (Free for full-season passholders.)
Middletown
The City of Middletown's Fireworks Festival is scheduled for June 27 starting at 5 p.m. at Harbor Park, 245 DeKoven Drive and 80 Harbor Drive. The event features family activities, live music and roaming performers before the fireworks at dusk.
The Middletown–Portland America 250th Committee is hosting an Independence Day parade on July 4 starting on Main Street at 10 a.m. Groups from 15 cities and towns across Middlesex County will participate. The parade will be followed by a food truck festival on the South Green and a performance by local swing and rock group Eight to the Bar.
Milford
The city of Milford will celebrate America's 250th and Juneteenth with three events on June 20.
A parade from the Wasson Field parking lot to the Milford Green starts at 11 a.m.
A Juneteenth Celebration and Cookout will take place from 1 to 4 p.m.
The kickoff to summer fireworks are planned at Lisman Landing, 37 Helwig St., with food trucks and live music from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. and fireworks over the harbor beginning at about 9:15 p.m.
Mystic
A Veterans Torch Relay from Fort Griswold to the Inn at Mystic at noon will open a America250, Revolutionary-area reenactment. Artisan vendors and colonial crafts, family-friendly activities and workshops and live music and entertainment will run until 4 p.m. at the Haley Mansion.
New Britain
New Britain's annual Great American Boom on July 4 has a new location: Walnut Hill Park. with music by Soul Sound Revue at 5 p.m. and Latanya Farrell at 7 p.m. before fireworks at 9:15 p.m.
New Canaan
New Canaan celebrates America's 250th with a community parade on June 27 at 9:30 a.m. starting at the Lumberyard Lot, on Park Street, and ending at Saxe Middle School, 468 South Ave.
New Canaan residents can get a pass to the annual fireworks show on July 4 at Waveny Park, 677 South Ave. Passes for cars and walking groups are $40 in advance or $50 on the day of the event.
New Haven
The city of New Haven hosts fireworks at East Rock Park on July 4 at 9 p.m.
Norwalk
Norwalk's Fourth of July Fireworks are scheduled for July 3 at Calf Pasture Beach. Live entertainment starts at 5 p.m. with fireworks after 9 p.m.
Orange
The town of Orange will hold an America 250 concert and fireworks on July 3 at 6 p.m. at the Fairgrounds, 525 Orange Center Road.
Simsbury
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra performs its annual “Celebrate America!” concert on July 3 at the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center on July 3 starting at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature patriotic classics such as “God Bless America,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” and the “Armed Forces Salute.” The concert ends with a fireworks display. Individual tickets to the show are $29.50 for adults and $10 for children with multi-show and group table ticketing options available. The rain date is July 5.
Stamford
The city of Stamford will hold fireworks at Cummings Beach on July 2. Entertainment is set to start at 6 p.m. with food trucks onsite. Fireworks will start shortly after 9 p.m.
Vernon
The town of Vernon celebrates July in the Sky in two locations on July 8. There will be a patriotic push, pedal and pull parade in downtown Rockville on Park Place starting at 5:30 p.m. There will be free games and crafts in downtown Rockville and the band Better Than Chips is expected to perform at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, there will be a children's fun zone, food court and live music by Backtrax at Henry Park, 120 South St. Admission to Henry Park will be $10 per vehicle and $2 per walker. A wristband for the fun zone is $15.
Waterbury
Fireworks will be launched from Holy Land USA above the city of Waterbury on July 4 at about 9:15 p.m. The rain date is July 5.
Wethersfield
A community picnic is planned for the Solomon Welles House/Cove Park on July 5 from noon to 3 p.m.
On July 8, there is a guided walking tour up Main Street from the Keeney Center to Cove Warehouse starting at 5 p.m. The town crier will call everyone to the warehouse at 5:50 p.m. where a Ben Franklin impersonator will read the Declaration of Independence.
Willimantic
The 41st annual WILI "Boom Box Parade" is on July 4 at 11 a.m. beginning at Jillson Square in downtown and marching to Memorial Park.
Did we miss an event? Send us details at news@ctpublic.org.
