Fireworks Near Me: East Haven July 4th 2024 Events

EAST HAVEN, CT — Independence Day is fast approaching, so it's time to find out where you can celebrate in and around New Haven. Area events include fireworks, festivals and other Fourth of July fun.

To help you fit it all in on your 4th of July calendar, Patch has put together a guide to what’s going on in New Haven and nearby towns.

July 4 Festivities For 2024

East Haven

What: Fireworks & Beach Party. Food, fun, and live entertainment culminating in a spectacular fireworks display, lighting up the sky around 9:15 p.m.

When: June 29, Noon to 10 p.m

Where: Cosey Beach

New Haven

What: 4th of July Fireworks

Where: Fireworks will launch from atop of East Rock Park. The best viewing location is from the Wilbur Cross High School parking lot.

When: July 4, 9 p.m.—9:30 p.m.

Notes: Only blankets will be allowed on the new turf at Wilbur Cross. For additional information, contact New Haven Parks & Rec at 203-946-8027

All about Independence Day

Today, Americans celebrate the birth of a new nation with fireworks, parades, concerts, and family gatherings and barbecues. Celebrations, though, predate by centuries the designation of Independence Day as a federal holiday, which didn’t happen until 1941.

During the pivotal summer of 1776, the pre-Revolutionary celebrations honoring King George III’s birthday were replaced with mock funerals as a symbolic break from the crown.

It was an exciting time in Philadelphia — the Continental Congress voted to break from the crown and, two days later on July 4, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the original 13 colonies —New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia — to adopt the Declaration of Independence.

The first annual commemoration of the nation’s independence was in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, while the Revolutionary War was ongoing. Fireworks have been part of Fourth of July festivities since the first celebration in Philadelphia.