July 4th 2024 Fireworks, Events Around Sarasota

SARASOTA, FL — Independence Day is fast approaching so it's time to find out where you can celebrate in and around Sarasota. 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 Sarasota and the surrounding areas.

July 4 Festivities For 2024

What: Fireworks on the Lake at Nathan Benderson Park 2024

Where: Nathan Benderson Park, Sarasota

When: July 3, 5 to 9 p.m.

This annual festive celebration honoring America includes live music, family fun, festive food and drinks, and a fireworks display. Find more event information here.

What: North Port Freedom Festival 2024

Where: CoolToday Park, North Port

When: July 4, 5 p.m.

This family-friendly signature event includes fun activities, great vendors, plenty of food options and fireworks. Find more event information here.

What: Sarasota 4th of July Fireworks 2024

Where: Bayfront Park and Marina/Island Park, Sarasota

When: July 4, 9 to 10 p.m.

Celebrate the July 4th holiday along the Sarasota bayfront. This fireworks display over Sarasota Bay is organized by Suncoast Charities for Children. Find more event information here.

What: Venice July 4 Fireworks Display 2024

Where: Venice Beach

When: July 4, 9 p.m.

Fireworks will be shot from the South Jetty just after 9 p.m. The free show, which can be viewed on area beaches, will last about 30 minutes. Find more event information here.

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.