The ultimate Bay Area July 4 guide: fireworks, parades and more

SAN FRANCISCO - Celebrating America’s 250th anniversary on this year’s Independence Day has the Bay Area buzzing with festivities, parades and, of course, fireworks. 

From the North Bay all the way down to the Peninsula, there are events happening for families and friends. And there's a special event on the Golden Gate Bridge this year, as well. 

Here's a guide to the events happening around the area to celebrate. 

San Francisco 

For the third time in history, the Golden Gate Bridge will be lit up with fireworks on July 4 to celebrate the momentous 250th anniversary of America’s independence.

This will be San Francisco's sole fireworks show this year. The free display will start at 9:30 p.m.

The best viewing spots are at Crissy Field, Marin Green, Pier 39 and Northern Embarcadero, including Fisherman’s Wharf. 

There will be waterfront celebrations at two locations: Pier 39 and Aquatic Park. The neighboring restaurants, activities and retail shops in Fisherman’s Wharf will be open all day on Saturday.

There will also be free musical performances from 2 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. at the Crab Wheel Plaza. This is an ideal spot to watch the Golden Gate Bridge display at 9:30 p.m., so the organizers recommended that attendees dress for the weather as it can get cold and to arrive early due to limited seating.

North Bay

The Calistoga Parade kicks off at 11 a.m. along Lincoln Avenue. It's an event celebrating America’s 250th birthday with floats, local organizations and community spirit. Bring blankets and lawn chairs to Pioneer Park from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for a laser light show with music and immersive visuals. 

St. Helena’s Fourth of July celebration in Crane Park will be hosting kids’ activities, food trucks, live music and a fireworks display after sunset. With a local crowd and a slower pace, organizers recommend a picnic blanket and sunscreen. 

Yountville Independence Day at Veterans Memorial Park will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Festivities include live music, family activities and a quieter neighborhood atmosphere. 

The Downtown Napa Independence Day Parade will start at 9:30 a.m. along Second and Third streets. Afterward, catch the Oxbow Commons Festival that opens at 3 p.m. The festival will feature a live music lineup, a kids zone and a salute to America.

In Napa Valley, there will be a drone show that begins at 9:30 p.m. at Oxbow Commons. With 400 synchronized drones forming designs in the sky, the best spots listed are Oxbow Commons, the bridge sidewalks on First and Third streets, Veterans Memorial Park and the Riverfront Promenade. 

American Canyon Independence Park will be hosting a full day of activities. The parade will start at 3 p.m. along Elliot to Amarillo drives, then a festival afterward and fireworks at dusk. 

The Fourth of July in Sausalito will be packed with events starting at 10 a.m. with a parade in Old Town. The parade starts on the corner of Second and Main and ends at Dunphy Park. Then from noon to 4 p.m. there will be a picnic at the same park.

Music artists will be performing from noon to 4 p.m. There will also be food, drinks and alcohol available for purchase. 

There will be an evening celebration with live music and food at Gabrielson Park and closing out the night at 9:15 p.m. will be a firework show. The city recommends that people bring blankets and low-to-ground beach chairs.

Sonoma’s Fourth of July celebration starts with a 60-entry parade at 10 a.m. that will make its way around the town’s plaza. After the parade, there will be a festival filled with food, drinks and game booths by Sonoma’s nonprofit organizations. All proceeds raised from the festival will benefit the city’s nonprofit community.

Then to wrap up the festival at around 5 p.m., there will be a fireworks display at General Vallejo’s field.

The Novato parade will start at 10 a.m. from Grant to Reichert avenues and will last around two hours. The city recommends viewers watch from the sidewalks down to Seventh Street. 

There will be a "Buckaroo Breakfast" hosted by the Presbyterian Church of Novato that kicks off at 7 a.m. and ends right before the parade. It’s located in the Redwood Credit Union parking lot, and will serve breakfast items to raise funds for North Marin Community Services.

Also, available for those who arrive early will be free, pre-parade entertainment that goes from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

The city of Fairfield will be gathering downtown for their Fourth of July parade on Saturday, celebrating the milestone by lighting the restored Fairfield Arch. 

The lighting kicks off the event at 10 a.m. followed by a medley of floats, marching bands, classic cars, community groups, dancers and more. The parade will start off at Webster and Kentucky streets and the city suggests the prime viewing spot at the review stand at Texas and Jackson. 

The 171st Vallejo parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the intersection of Tennessee and El Dorado streets. Large sculptures, puppets, floats, custom low riders, cabalgatas, or horse parades, small businesses and local organizations will all be present in the parade. 

The Marin County Fair aims to celebrate the holiday with a massive fireworks display over the lagoon. The show will begin at 9:30 p.m at the Fairground in San Rafael. 

East Bay 

Fireworks will light up the sky at the Alameda County Fair for America’s 250th anniversary. The organizers offer from noon to 11 p.m. a day of entertainment, festivities and a fireworks display to close out the night. 

They noted that a chaperon policy would be in place and the admissions gate would close at 5 p.m.

Alameda is hosting a July Fourth parade that will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The parade will kick off on the corner of Park Street and Lincoln Avenue. Here is the anticipated parade route. 

The city of Antioch will also be holding a celebration this Independence Day. Rivertown will be lively with the Waldie Plaza hosting a parade, live entertainment, local food vendors and trucks. 

There will be games hosted at City Hall with organizers concluding the evening with a fireworks show. 

The Orinda Association is putting on a Fourth of July parade with live music, a pancake breakfast, flag raising, a book sale and a carnival in the park. From 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. the day is packed with community activities, food, beverages and entertainment. 

The Pleasant Hill Fourth of July Commission is hosting their 50th annual July 4 Celebration this year. This year’s event includes their Firecracker 5K race or the kids’ 100-yard dash with prizes for the top finishers. 

Downtown will be hosting a parade and there will be a party in the park filled with games, inflatables, a watermelon eating contest and music by Inner-State 80s.

Pleasant Hill claims to have, "The best fireworks show in the East Bay," with it beginning at 9:15 p.m. at College Park High School. 

San Pablo is hosting their annual free, family-friendly Multicultural Fourth of July celebration on Saturday at the San Pablo Community Center. It will feature community resources, food trucks, live entertainment and carnival games. 

They will end the night with a drone show that starts at 9:30 p.m. 

The city of Pinole is hosting their July Fourth celebration on Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Pinole Valley High School. The event will have food trucks, children’s activities and a drone show.

The Fremont Fourth of July parade will begin at 10 a.m. near Kearney Street. The public can expect a performance of the national anthem, floats, and community celebration.

The Concord July Fourth celebration has events planned at two locations. At Todos Santos Plaza, starting at 8 a.m. expect a kids' fun run, pancake breakfast from a local rotary club, a 5K, and a parade. Then afterward, head to Mt. Diablo High School to attend the festival with performances from Brooks Lundy and 3day Weekend. 

To close out the night at 9 p.m. there will be a fireworks display over the city. 

Richmond will be hosting an Independence Day fireworks showcase on Friday, July 3 at Marina Bay Park. It’s a free event that will begin at 5 p.m. with music, food, and activities for all ages. The firework show will kick off at around 9:15 p.m. 

The city of San Leandro is hosting a community celebration for the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Monarch Bay Golf Club. Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to live music, purchase from food trucks and local vendors, as well as play in games. 

South Bay 

Morgan Hill’s "Freedom Fest" is turning 151 on this Fourth of July with a day packed with festivities.

On Friday, July 3, the Family Music Fest will be on Monterey Road between Dunne and Main avenues. There will be food and beverages available for purchase. Attendees can enjoy a kids' zone with lawn games, chalk art and bounce houses.

The Freedom Run, where competitors, after finishing, will receive a medal, running shirt and snacks, will be on Saturday with a 1-mile kids' run and a 5K. 

The Cruise and Car Show kicks off on Saturday at 9:15 a.m. The parade will follow a route that begins at Monterey Road and Main Avenue and will feature equestrian groups, a hundred person marching band and over a dozen floats. 

To close out the day, there will be the free fireworks at the Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center. The show opens at 3 p.m. and, according to organizers, it will be their largest with almost 2,200 shells.

The Rose, White and Blue parade will be coming back to San José on Saturday, kicking off at 9:45 a.m. The parade will include classic cars, dance groups, bands, bikes and community troupes all starting at Lincoln High School and making its way down to The Alameda. 

The festival will go from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and attendees can expect lucha libre matches, a kids zone, games and sports-themed activations with the San Jose Sharks, among other activities. 

Sunnyvale is hosting a July 4 festival to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. It’s set to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. downtown on Murphy Avenue. Be prepared for amusement rides, a Ferris wheel, a 100-foot slide on McKinley, food trucks and carnival games. 

There’s entertainment the whole event, with The Houserockers being a household name. A bike parade will start at 9:30 a.m. with the opportunity for community members to decorate their hot rods and join the parade.

Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos will be hosting events on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a mayor’s welcome, raising of the flag and playing of the national anthem at the beginning of the day, followed by the ringing of the Liberty Bell.

The activities include a children’s bike and stroller parade and performances from the San Jose Wind Symphony. There will be concessions available for purchase, and the city recommends bringing picnic blankets and lawn chairs. 

The city of Santa Clara is hosting a gamut of free family-friendly activities on Saturday at Mission College from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Enjoy carnival-style games, a scavenger hunt, live entertainment and food trucks. They recommend bringing a blanket or lawn chairs for the fireworks show that will happen toward the end of the night. 

Peninsula 

While Foster City won’t have a firework show this year, there will be a pancake breakfast available, hosted by Foster City Rotary Club from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Leo Ryan Memorial Park.

For entertainment, check out the amphitheater from noon to 4 p.m. to listen to music ranging from classics, to party music, to country.  

And as for the activities, vendors, a kids zone and family games will be available. A family and dog parade will kick off at the VIBE Teen Center from Shell Boulevard to the amphitheater at around 11 a.m.

The Half Moon Bay Ol' Fashioned 4th of July Parade & Festival will begin with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Half Moon Bay Lions Club from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 

Once noon rolls around, check out the parade with marching bands, classic cars and loads of floats on Main Street. 

Afterward, the I.D.E.S. Half Moon Bay festival will be happening from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will have a host of different activities. Jump houses, face painting, henna tattoos, live music, food, beverages and "tons of fun for the family!"

The city of Palo Alto is heating things up this Independence Day with their chili cook-off and summer festival. The celebration will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mitchell Park.

It will have food trucks, alcoholic beverages for adults, games, kid activities, live entertainment, and free chili! There will also be a sensory-friendly tent available to promote an inclusive experience. 

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