Tips for Attending Fourth of July Events with Kids
The Fourth of July is a great time of year to celebrate with friends and neighbors. While the Fourth of July can be a lot of fun it is better to be prepared before attending an event so you have a great experience. This is my list of curated tips after attending Fourth of July events with my family for multiple years.
Before attending a parade or fireworks show be sure to plan to arrive at least a half hour to an hour in advance.
Sometimes parking can take a while or be further than you expect. If it is a hot day being able to stake out a spot in the shade can be priceless.
Bring bags for candy to parades.
Each year I am always amazed by how much candy the kids can collect in one parade. Sometimes they even throw out other things like small toys or ice pops! My favorite parade was one where the kids got juice boxes.
Keep your family happy by bringing enough water, snacks and cash.
This is a day where you will likely be out longer than you expect so be sure to have enough sustenance. Luckily there are often people selling things near parades such as water ice before they start or hot dogs afterwards.
Bring something to sit on for Fourth of July parades or firework shows.
I usually love to stand but if you have kids this is a must. Bringing a blanket or camp chairs is easy. If your kids get tired easily and you are worried you may have to park far, a stroller or a wagon may be a better bet to bring along.
Bring noise canceling headphones for Fourth of July parades or firework shows.
Most parades have fire trucks or police cars as well as lots of live music so noise canceling headphones are super helpful. They are also good to have on hand for firework shows in case your child will get scared of the loud noises. Another easy way to help your kid adjust is by picking a spot in town to watch that is much further away from where they are being set off so they are not as loud.
Bring sunblock, hats and fans for Fourth of July parades.
It is rare to have Fourth of July events that are not in the heat. Often you can be sitting or standing for a couple hours in the sun so these will make your experience a lot more enjoyable. Another thing we often bring is a small cooler with things like grapes, cucumbers or blueberries. They are refreshing to eat and it is nice to have some ice packs on hand when it is hot outside.
Bring bug spray and glow sticks when going to see fireworks.
Often when viewing fireworks some of the best spots are in parks that can get extremely buggy. Long pants and bug spray can be helpful. We also always bring glow sticks so it is easy to keep an eye on the kids and to avoid paying higher fees for them when we get to events. They are easy to pick up from Dollar Tree. The kids often enjoy wearing light up shoes to night events as well.
Dress in red, white and blue.
Most event attendees will be wearing these colors and it is easy to find at least one of them in your closet. Often we also bring things like pinwheels, hats or noisemakers as well. At many events people also decorate cars or bikes in parades and sometimes people watching decorate as well. We have decorated chairs and push cars with things like bows, ribbons and tape.
Be okay with leaving early.
For our first year attending parades with the kids we had no idea what to expect since we had not attended ourselves since we are children. Parades are much bigger, longer and busier than I remember them being as a child. If your kids are younger an entire event may be too long for them. Remember there are likely other Fourth of July events you can still attend later on or ways that you can celebrate at home.
If you get ready to leave too late, find a later event to attend.
We have found that most events start promptly and if you arrive late it may also be impossible to park. Save yourself the aggravation and find a different event later in the day or on a different day to attend.
Have a back-up plan.
Our family always has a backup parade plan so if we wake up too late for the start of an earlier parade there is still a later parade to attend. For fireworks we often have plans to see them on a couple days and decide closer to then which we will see. Weather forecasts can change quickly in the summer so it is good to build in some flexibility.
Do not attend fireworks and parades back to back.
It is tough to stay up late watching fireworks and then have everyone up and ready at 7 am to leave for a parade soon. This puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the holiday. Instead of this we often space out our events so it is easy to attend each of them easily. For many towns the Fourth of July has become a multiple day affair with other events that can also be attended instead such as concerts, dances, rides and more.
Check websites and social media pages for the events before attending.
Last year there was a huge storm that had cleared up before the time fireworks were supposed to start. Unfortunately this led to some fireworks being canceled and flooding in other areas postponing fireworks to later times or days. Luckily we were able to catch a fireworks show we were interested in at its latest time since we were following the latest updates on their Facebook event page. It is also helpful to check these to know what to expect when you get there in terms of unique activities or things you may want to purchase.
