Independence Day Events

  • World Golf Village hosts one of the largest fireworks displays in Northeast Florida on July 3. Bring blankets or lawn chairs (no coolers) and find a spot around the Walk of Champions to enjoy the show. Restaurants and shops will be open to the public. There is a small admission charge for parking.
  • Take your family, friends and a picnic to Metropolitan Park and watch the Skyblast Fireworks on the July 4. Gates open at 6 p.m. Food and beverages will be for sale. Picnics and non-alcoholic beverages allowed. No outside alcoholic beverages permitted in the park. Parking is free. Skyblast Fireworks start at 9:45 p.m. on the downtown riverfront, and will be launched from river barges in front of Metropolitan Park, the Hyatt Regency Hotel and The Jacksonville Landing. Strobing will be visible on both sides of the Main Street Bridge, east side of the Acosta Bridge and signature downtown buildings. Choreographed music will accompany the show and can be heard in speakers along the riverfront. (Note: On Wednesday, July 4, the Mathews Bridge will carry eastbound only traffic from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. For information about which streets are closed, check the city's website coj.net.)

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  • The Jacksonville Landing celebrates Independence Day with live music from 2:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m. Southbound Truckers will perform from 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., Ruckus plays from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., followed by Those Guys from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
  • The City of St Augustine is hosting Fireworks over the Matanzas. The evening starts with a free concert in the plaza downtown. The All Star Orchestra performs big band and swing and traditional patriotic favorites at 6 p.m. Bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Fireworks over the Matanzas Bay begin at 9:30 p.m. A simulcast of popular music will be broadcast over local radio stations Sunny 94.1-FM and 1240-AM for those viewing the display between the fort and the Bridge of Lions. Parking in the downtown parking facility on W. Castillo Drive is $5. Public parking in city-owned lots is free. (Be aware that some streets will be closed, and traffic on others may be rerouted to move traffic. Driving on Vilano Beach will be permitted until 1 a.m. July 5 to accommodate those who want to view the fireworks from the beach. Click here for more information..)
  • Celebrate America's 231st birthday with Liberty Fest Music and Fireworks at the Sea Walk Pavilion at the intersection of First Street North and First Avenue North on the oceanfront at Jacksonville Beach. At 6 p.m., the Navy Band Southeast will perform military marches and the Armed Forces Medley. At 7 p.m. a Massing of the Colors ceremony will be dedicated to those currently serving in the armed forces, emphasizing those in Afghanistan and Iraq. Color Guards from different branches of the armed forces, Florida National Guard, Beaches Honor Guard, Jacksonville Beach Police Department and the Sons of the American Revolution will post the colors while Navy Band Southeast plays the National Anthem. At 7:40, PRIDE, the Navy Band Southeast rock 'n' roll band, will perform classic rock and Top 40. At 9:30, fireworks will light up the sky off the fishing pier. Navy Band Southeast will perform again after the fireworks show. (The Jacksonville Beach Pier will close from 6 p.m.-6 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, July 4, with the western most end of the pier only reopening Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 6.)
  • Fernandina Beach's July 4th and Families Festival happens at Central Park. Activities include a Public Safety Vehicles Display of fire trucks, police cars, and more, the Best Baked Apple Pie Contest, a Parent-Child Look-a-Like Contest, a Fun-for-the-Kids Craft area, live music, and an arts and crafts show. At 7:30 p.m., a parade through downtown starts, at 8:30 p.m. a concert, then the fireworks start at dark.
  • In Orange Park, the Eighth Annual American Pie Fourth of July Celebration benefits Black Creek District Boy Scouts of America. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on River Road at the corner of U.S. Hwy. 17 and Kingsley Avenue. Storytellers Back in Tyme will be on the property from noon to 7. Stephanie Renee' starts the entertainment on stage at 11:45, followed by the Warren Family Cloggers at 12:30, then Stephanie Renee' again at 1:15. The parade runs from 2 to 3, with parade winners announced immediately following. The jazz quartet L & S Railroad performs from 3:30-4:30, a K-9 demonstration and Stephanie Renee' from 4:30-6, then the headliner band Too Many Shoes takes the stage from 6-9:30 with fireworks, accompanied by WOKV simulcast, from 9:30-10.
  • At St. Augustine Beach the Wednesday Farmer's Market at the pier will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Island Joe's, located in Anastasia State Park, will host a Fourth of July Family Picnic from 4 to 10 p.m. with games, contests, prizes, music, entertainment and movies. Dinners will be available starting at $4.50 for a hot dog meal to $9.95 for a combination chicken and rib dinner. Also scheduled at the St Augustine Beach Pier Park Pavilion is the weekly, free Music By-the-Sea Concert. Power Play jazzes it up from 7-9. Café Eleven will be selling dinners starting at 6, or bring a picnic.
  • Palatka's July 4 riverfront concert features Mullet Run, while Bob and Joline Friends of Mine will perform in the amphitheater. Entertainment begins at 6 p.m., and fireworks start after dark.
  • Brunswick, Ga., is celebrating an Old Fashioned Fourth of July at Mary Ross Waterfront Park, downtown Brunswick. At 7 p.m. traditional games like sack races, tug-of-wars, horseshoes, ball games, and hula-hoop contests begin. Whole watermelons will be awarded to winning contestants, and free watermelon slices will be handed out to everyone. The fireworks over the waters of the East River and Oglethorpe Bay start about 9 p.m. and last 30 minutes.
  • St. Marys, Ga., celebrates the fourth with 5K and 10K runs, a dog show, arts and crafts vendors, a parade, kiddie rides, and entertainment throughout the day. The evening events, sponsored by the St. Marys Kiwanis Club, include a street dance and a fireworks display at dusk. Event phone: 800-868-8687

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