AMERICA 250 CELEBRATIONS:
WEDNESDAY:
MOBILE COUNTY’S AMERICA 250 KICKOFF PARTY- Wed 4pm-6pm, Government Plaza Pocket Park, Downtown Mobile
The community is invited to enjoy live music (including song performances from the Chickasaw Civic Theater play 1776), food trucks and family-friendly activities as Mobile County helps launch local commemorations of America 250. CLICK HERE
THURSDAY:
CITY OF ORANGE BEACH INDEPENDENCE DAY STREET PARTY- Thursday 5:30pm-9:30pm, Main Street, The Wharf, Orange Beach
There will be family friendly activities in the Entertainment District. Then, as the sun dips, get ready for a show-stopping lineup of nighttime magic with the palm trees dancing in patriotic colors and a grand finale drone show at 9pm and fireworks at 9:15pm. Free admission. CLICK HERE
STARS, STRIPES & SARALAND- Thurs 6:30pm-9pm, Saraland High School
Bring your family and friends and enjoy food trucks and fun for all ages, with fireworks at 9pm. CLICK HERE
FRIDAY:
52ND Annual GRAND BAY WATERMELON FESTIVAL- Fri 3pm-7pm; Sat 10am-5pm, Odd Fellows Festival Park, Grand Bay AL
Friday is Preview Day, with Arts & Crafts vendors, rides, food vendors, and entertainment (but no watermelon yet). On Saturday the 4th, admission is $5 per vehicle, with Arts & Crafts, rides, food vendors, entertainment, a Car Show, games, contests for all ages, and all the free, sliced, ice cold, sweet Grand Bay watermelon you can eat… plus a spectacular fireworks show at dusk. CLICK HERE
GULF STATE PARK STARS & STRIPES CELEBRATION- Fri/Sat 10am-4pm, Gulf State Park’s Lake Shelby and Pier, Gulf Shores
Featuring live music, local art, food, vendors, and family-friendly activities leading up to the City’s annual fireworks display at 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. CLICK HERE
RED, WHITE & WAHOOS- Fri/Sat, Blue Wahoos Stadium, Downtown Pensacola
The Blue Wahoos are hosting a summer celebration filled with music, fireworks and fun! Both days feature waterslides, lawn games, wiffle ball, music, Blue Wahoos mascot Kazoo, concessions for purchase and fireworks. On July 3, the Blue Wahoos shoot off fireworks at 8:30. On July 4, you'll have a view of Pensacola Symphony’s annual “Symphony Sparks and Stars” show and downtown fireworks at 9pm. CLICK HERE
BAY MINETTE COMMUNITY FIREWORKS SHOW- Fri 6pm-9pm, Bay Minette Sports Complex
The festivities begin at 6:00 PM with food trucks, fellowship, and family fun. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and tailgating gear and settle in for an evening under the stars before the fireworks begin at 9:00 PM. CLICK HERE
SATURDAY:
BIGGEST LITTLE 4th OF JULY PARADE- Sat 10:30am, Magnolia Springs
CITY OF MOBILE 4th OF JULY CELEBRATION- Sat 5:30pm-9:30pm, USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile Causeway
Enjoy live music, food trucks, local vendors, nonprofits, games, family-friendly activities, and a breathtaking fireworks show at 9pm to close out the evening. Admission is free, but parking will cost $10 per car and $30 per RV (cash only). No parking will be allowed after 8:15 p.m.
Mardi Gras Park offers wide open green space for a picnic style view of the show, and Cooper Riverside Park will be open for the evening as additional overflow space. CLICK HERE
PENSACOLA’S 4th OF JULY FIREWORKS SHOW- Sat 5pm-10pm, Pensacola Bayfront
This free community event will feature local food trucks, vendors, family-friendly activities, and a breathtaking fireworks display at 9pm over Pensacola Bay. CLICK HERE
SYMPHONY SPARKS & STARS- Sat 7pm, Hunter Amphitheater, behind Blue Wahoos Stadium, Downtown Pensacola
The evening begins at 7 PM with the McGuire’s Pipe Band and a military flyover. The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra performance begins at 7:30 PM with a program featuring patriotic music, American classics, and familiar film scores. The fireworks begin at 9pm. CLICK HERE
OWA’S STAR SPANGLED 250th SPECTACULAR- Sat 2pm-9pm, Downtown OWA, OWA Parks & Resort, Foley
Watch the 250th Independence Day Parade roll through Downtown OWA at 4pm, then stick around as live music takes over OWA Island and keeps the energy going into the evening. Don’t miss the Red, White, & Chew Watermelon Eating Competition on OWA Island! Kids kick things off at 5:15 pm, followed by adults at 5:30 pm. End the night with a fireworks show at 8:50pm that brings the celebration to a perfect close. CLICK HERE
MILTON RIVERFEST- Sat 4pm-9pm, Jernigan’s Landing, Milton
Bring your family, friends, lawn chairs, and patriotic spirit as we celebrate America's 250th Anniversary along the Blackwater River! There will be live music, inflatable waterslides, food trucks, the Great Mill Town Duck race, and then fireworks at 8:30pm. CLICK HERE
RED, WHITE & 250 IN FAIRHOPE- Sat 7:30pm- 9pm, Henry George Park, Fairhope Pier
Enjoy an unforgettable evening on the bluff as the Baldwin Pops performs at 7:30 p.m. with 250 musicians, followed by a spectacular fireworks show over Mobile Bay at 9:00 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs, gather your family and friends, and celebrate this historic milestone with music, patriotism, and one of the best views on the Gulf Coast. CLICK HERE
CHICKASAW 4th OF JULY- Sat 5pm-9:30pm, Miller Park, Chickasaw
Bring your lawn chairs, gather your friends and family, and come enjoy a patriotic celebration full of family fun, food, music, market and fireworks! CLICK HERE
PENSACOLA BEACH FIREWORKS- Sat 9pm, Santa Rosa Sound near the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk
NAVARRE BEACH FIREWORKS- Sat 9pm, Navarre Beach Fishing Pier
GULF SHORES FIREWORKS- Sat 9pm Gulf State Park Pier, Gulf Shores
DAPHNE FIREWORKS- Sat 9pm, Al Trione Sports Complex, Daphne
SUNDAY:
REVOLUTIONARY WAR REENACTMENT & 1976 TIME CAPSULE OPENING- Sun 4pm-7pm, Colonial Fort Conde, Downtown Mobile
Join the History Museum of Mobile and Colonial Fort Condé for a special celebration of American history featuring a Revolutionary War reenactment and the opening of a 50-year-old time capsule. At 4:00 p.m., experience The Capture of Captain James Willing, Colonial Fort Condé's annual Independence Day living history program. Then at 5:00 p.m., witness history as the 1976 Colonial Fort Condé Time Capsule, buried during America's Bicentennial celebrations, is opened for the first time in 50 years.
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RONALD McDONALD HOUSE FIRECRACKER 5K- Sat 7am, Seville Quarter, Downtown Pensacola, CLICK HERE
4th OF JULY FREEDOM RUN (4 mile or 1mile) - Sat 8am, Flora-Bama Lounge, Perdido Key, CLICK HERE
SHARK RUN 5K - Sat 7am, Main Street, The Wharf, Orange Beach, CLICK HERE
GAVIN ADCOCK - Fri 7pm, The Wharf Amphitheater, Orange Beach, CLICK HERE
CELTIC THRONE II: PSALTER OF IRELAND- Sun 7pm, Mobile Saenger Theatre, CLICK HERE
10 GOOD MEN: THE FINAL STORY OF THE B-17- Fri 7pm, Pensacola Saenger Theatre
10 Good Men is a 90-minute documentary that preserves the firsthand accounts of ten of the last remaining World War II veterans who flew the B-17 Flying Fortress in combat. A Q&A session with director Trent “TJ” Jones will follow the screening. CLICK HERE
FIRST FRIDAY ARTWALK- Fri 6pm-8pm, Downtown Fairhope
Stroll through Downtown Fairhope for local art and music, including the Free Radicals at Gallery By The Bay. At the Eastern Shore Art Center, celebrate the Independence Day holiday with hot dogs and sno-cones, and new exhibits. CLICK HERE
FIRST FRIDAYS ARTWALK, DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA- Fri 5:30pm-7:30pm, Downtown Pensacola
First Fridays Art Walk is a monthly celebration of local art in Downtown Pensacola. Explore participating galleries, meet local artists, enjoy live music and refreshments, and discover new exhibitions throughout the evening. CLICK HERE
SHREK: THE MUSICAL- Thurs/Fri 7pm; Sat/Sun 2pm and 7pm; (June 11-July 2, dark Mondays), Beau Rivage Biloxi
Shrek The Musical brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage and proves there's more to the story than meets the ears. So, get out of the swamp and into the theatre to join Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona on an adventure that proves that when we open our hearts, we create bonds that can overcome even the biggest challenges. CLICK HERE
PALAFOX MARKET- Sat 9am-2pm, Downtown Pensacola
You'll find the unique, the one-of-a-kind, the precious, the delicious and the off-beat at Palafox Market, now in 2 locations: Palafox Market North at Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza and Palafox Market South at Plaza Ferdinand. Items originate directly from talented onsite vendors who grow, make, or create each item for sale. CLICK HERE
Photo: atakan / iStock / Getty Images