Many areas are putting together great events to celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
Independence day, or the 4th of July, brings people together to celebrate the U.S. and our history.
We have the ultimate guide to 2018 public events around Hampton Roads and northeast North Carolina!
Chesapeake:
- July 3 – Celebrate America’s Birthday with the U.S. Fleet Forces Band, providing stirring patriotic sounds. Following the concert, fireworks by Pyrotechnico will illuminate the dark sky after sunset around 9:15 p.m. This event is free to the public and there is a $5 on-site parking fee.
- July 4 – 38th Annual South Norfolk Parade and Picnic in the Park brings a parade, entertainment, food, games, paddleboat rides, children’s crafts and family fun! Parade starts at 10 a.m. with a picnic at 11 a.m. This event is presented by the South Norfolk Civic League and Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism. This event is free to the public.
Hampton:
- Celebrate Independence Day at Fort Monroe with a full day of activities from 10 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. on July 4. The evening will end with a spectacular fireworks show. Early in the day, visitors can enjoy a morning flag-raising ceremony at the Flag Bastian, use of the beaches, picnic areas, campground, fishing piers, waterfront restaurants and craft brewery. The fireworks show will start at 9:15 p.m., weather permitting.
Mathews County
- The 21st annual 4th of July Fireworks Celebration at Mathews High School will take place on Wednesday, July 4, 2018 with a rain date of Thursday, July 5, 2018. Fireworks will begin at approximately 9pm with entertainment and concessions starting around 6:30pm.
Newport News:
- The City of Newport News Parks, Recreation & Tourism Department will present the “4th of July Stars in the Sky” on Wednesday, July 4 at Victory Landing Park (50 25th St.). The event begins at 7 p.m. with free children’s inflatables (moon bounces, obstacle courses), bubble soccer, free face painting, the Tomcats Dixieland Band, and strolling entertainment. Live music will be provided by the Tidewater Drive Band (Motown, Disco, Funk, Top 40) from 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Free light-up give-a-way items will be given out during the event (while supplies last). A spectacular fireworks show by the internationally award winning fireworks company Pyrotecnico, will be presented by Newport News Shipbuilding, a Division of Huntington-Ingalls Industries, and will light up the sky over the James River at 9:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
Norfolk:
- The 36th Annual Fourth of July Great American Picnic will be held Wednesday, July 4 in Town Point Park. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, find a seat on the grass and watch the sky light up with one of the largest fireworks shows in downtown Norfolk at 9:30 p.m.
The patriotic sounds of the United States Fleet Forces Band: Four Star Edition will perform at 6:30 p.m. and the United States Fleet Forces Band: Wind Ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. The USS Monterey will be docked for public tours open to the general public 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Nauticus Pier adjacent to Town Point Park. - The Shore Thing Concert & Independence Day Celebration will be held Friday, June 29 at Ocean View Beach Park in Ocean View. Fireworks will light up the sky at 9:30 p.m. following local dance-pop party band, Wonderland! The Shore Thing Concert & Independence Day Celebration kicks off the popular Friday after-work music series, “Thank Goodness It’s Ocean View” (TGOV) music concert series at Ocean View Beach Park on the Chesapeake Bay. Dance to live music by Wonderland starting at 6 p.m. The TGOV summer concert series runs every Friday from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. through August 31.
Outer Banks:
- Duck – The 14th Annual Town of Duck 4th of July Parade will be at 9 a.m. The traditional one-mile parade route begins at the crest of the hill on Scarborough Lane. The route follows Scarborough Lane east toward the ocean, turns left onto Ocean Way, and loops back to head west on Christopher
Drive, and ends at Pamela Court. No part of the parade takes place on Duck Road (NC 12). The parade will be followed by a Community Celebration at the Duck Town Park. - Avon & Hatteras Island – “Fireworks at the Beach” on the 4th of July, is sponsored by the Avon Property Owners Association and funded in part by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. The fireworks display, permitted by and in cooperation with the National Park Service, will begin about 9:15 p.m. from a launch site at the end of the Avon Pier.
- Kill Devil Hills – Fireworks show on July 4 at the Avalon Pier, Milepost 6 at sunset.
- Manteo – The Town of Manteo celebrates our nation’s Independence Day every year on the 4th of July at the Downtown Manteo Waterfront. Festivities occur all day and culminate in a traditional fireworks display over the sound around 9:30 p.m.
- Nags Head –The Town of Nags Head will host, in conjunction with the Nags Head Fishing Pier and the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, the annual Independence Day Fireworks Spectacular on Wednesday, July 4 at 9:25 p.m. on the ocean pier located at Mile Post 11.5 on NC Route 12, S. Virginia Dare Trail in Nags Head.
Virginia Beach:
- July 4 at Mount Trashmore Park – From 4 – 10 p.m. celebrate America’s independence with live music by Free For All, delicious foods, and of course, booming fireworks! There is a $10 parking fee; When parking lots at Mount Trashmore Park are full, Edwin Drive between Independence Boulevard and South Boulevard may close.
Williamsburg:
- On July 4 celebrate our nation’s birth on historic Duke of Gloucester Street. Enjoy a full day of patriotic festivities, including public readings of the Declaration of Independence, musical performances, hands-on activities for the kids, and a dazzling fireworks display to cap the evening. Events are free and open to the public and will go from 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. Click here for all the information.
