July 4th 2025 Fireworks, Events Around Buffalo Grove

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — Independence Day falls on a Friday in 2025, kicking off a star-spangled three-day weekend packed with fireworks, festivals and other Fourth of July fun in and around Buffalo Grove.

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 Buffalo Grove and the surrounding areas.

July 4 Festivities For 2025

What: Rock 'n' Run the Runway
Where: Chicago Executive Airport, 1080 S. Milwaukee Ave., Buffalo Grove
When: 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. June 28 (bands play throughout, fireworks at 9:15 p.m.

What: Buffalo Grove Fourth of July Fireworks & Celebration
Where: Willow Stream Park, 651 Old Checker Road, Buffalo Grove
When: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. July 4
Description: Join the Village for an old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration! Bring a picnic basket and a blanket out to Willow Stream Park as we celebrate America's birthday. The Buffalo Grove Symphonic Band will present a patriotic-themed concert beginning at 7 p.m., while the fireworks display begins at 9 p.m.

What: Community Fireworks
Where: Oakton College, 1600 Golf Rd, Des Plaines, IL, 60016
When: Community fireworks will be on Sunday, June 29.
Description: Bring your blankets and lawn chairs to watch the fireworks extravaganza among your neighbors to celebrate the holiday! Dance to the DJ and play yard games with family and friends before the fireworks show illuminates the sky. Admission is free. Gates open at 7 p.m. and the fireworks show beings at dusk (approximately 9:15 p.m.).

What: Frontier Days Festival
Where: Recreation Park, 500 E Miner St, Arlington Heights, IL, 60004
When: July 2 through July 6
Description: Frontier Days features live music (7th Heaven, Dishwalla and more), a carnival with rides, food, drinks, Frontier Days Stampede 2025, petting zoo, and much more for the entire family. Each day's hours and schedule varies, so make sure to check out the Frontier Days website.

What: Independence Day Parade
Where: Center Street, Center St, Des Plaines, IL
When: 10 a.m. July 4
Description: This beloved tradition includes community floats, live music and strolling entertainment. The parade is a great way to enjoy the holiday with neighbors and is fun for the whole family. Entertain the kids with this downloadable I Spy game. The 2025 theme is "Hometown Happiness." This Fourth of July, the city invites you to express your hometown pride and showcase the community spirit that makes Des Plaines so unique. The parade will step off at the intersection of Center Street and Wicke Avenue.

What: Schaumburg Boomers Baseball and Fireworks
Where: Wintrust Field, 1999 S Springinsguth Rd, Schaumburg, IL, 60193
When: 6:30 p.m. July 4, vs. Evansville Otters
Description: Post-Game Fireworks Supershow/Patriotic Bucket Hat Giveaway. The first 1,500 fans will receive a Boomers Patriotic Bucket Hat thanks to Amazon Fresh Tickets

What: Elk Grove Village Fireworks/Concert
Where: Rotary Green, 164 Lions Dr, Elk Grove Village, IL, 60007
When: Cheap Trick plays at 8 p.m. July 4. Fireworks start at 9:30 p.m.

What: Hoffman Estates Fireworks
Where: 5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy, Hoffman Estates, IL, 60192
When: 9:30 p.m. July 5
Description: The Northwest Fourth-Fest fireworks show returns with a state-of-the-art computerized fireworks display. The fireworks are visible from anywhere on festival grounds.

Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. In that document, the 13 original colonies declared their independence from Great Britain.

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.

Today, Americans celebrate 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.