Fireworks Near Me: Tampa July 4th 2024 Events

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

July 4 Festivities For 2024

What: Catch the Spirit & Celebrate America July 4th Festival 2024

Where: Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, Dover

When: July 4, 1 to 9 p.m.

The day includes live entertainment, an antique car show, a costume contest, the Little Miss and Mr. Firecracker Pageant, a pet costume parade, and a kid zone with inflatables and a petting zoo, as well as a fireworks show. Find more event info here.

What: Boom by the Bay at Tampa’s Riverfront Park 2024

Where: Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, 1001 N. Blvd., Tampa

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

Powered by TECO at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, this Tampa July 4 celebration offers family-friendly activities, live entertainment, the Apple Pie Throwdown and a fireworks display at the end of the evening. Find more event info here.

What: Tampa July 4 Boat Parade 2024

Where: Sparkman Wharf, Tampa

When: July 4, 4 to 9:30 p.m.

The Friends of the Riverwalk hosts a July 4 boat parade, Blessing of the Fleet and water ski show as part of the Star Spangled Banner festivities at Sparkman Wharf. Find more event info here.

What: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Independence Day Fireworks 2024

Where: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

When: July 4-6, park closes at 10 p.m.; July 7, park closes at 9 p.m.

In addition to entertainment and thrill rides, entry to Busch Gardens July 4-7 — part of the theme park’s Summer Nights Fireworks Spectacular — includes a dazzling fireworks display at festival field. Find more event info here.

What: Legoland’s Red, White & Boom 2024

Where: LegoLand Florida

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

There will be a dance party, star-spangled activities, a DJ dance party and a fireworks display that explodes into 3D Lego bricks. Find more event info 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.