Chicago's 4th Of July Fireworks: When To Watch Them

CHICAGO, IL — If fireworks are how you like to enjoy the Fourth of July, Navy Pier this year will make Independence Day — the holiday, not the movie — feel more like "Groundhog Day" — the movie, not the holiday. The Chicago attraction again will offer pyrotechnic displays twice a week — plus a special event July 4 — until the unofficial end of the summer.

Navy Pier's Fourth of July fireworks display, which will be synchronized to music, will be at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4. But if you're looking for a little bit more than explosions, Shoreline Sightseeing offers a 90-minute architecture fireworks cruise, a special architecture tour along the Chicago River as the night sky is filled with fireworks. The all-ages tours begin at 8:15 p.m. from Shoreline’s docks at Polk Bros Park, and tickets cost $69. all ages. Go to Shoreline's website or call 312-222-9328 for more information.

WATCH FIREWORKS LIVE: Patch is at Navy Pier and working through technical difficulties with our live stream. Check back here soon to watch the show!

Music won't just be playing during the display. Live bands — Andrew Leahey and the Homestead, the Prissillas and Wedding Banned — will perform from 2 to 10 p.m. Tuesday at Navy Pier's Miller Lite Beer Garden. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Can't make it to Navy Pier's fireworks show? Here's a look at other nearby displays (times are approximate; displays scheduled for shortly after sunset):

• Evanston: 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, at Clark Street Beach, 1811 Sheridan Road.
• Skokie: Dusk on Tuesday, July 4, at Niles West High School, 5701 Oakton St.
• Glencoe: at 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, at Lakefront Park, 55 Hazel Ave.
• Winnetka: 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, at Duke Childs Field, 1321 Willow Road, as part of the Winnetka Fourthfest.
• Glenview: 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, at Gallery Park, 2001 Patriot Blvd.
• Palatine: 9 p.m. Monday, July 3, at 60th annual Hometown Fest at Community Park, 262 E. Palatine Road. (Go to Palatine Patch for more information about this display and a preview of Hometown Fest.)
• Arlington Heights: 9:30 p.m. Monday, July 3, at Arlington International Racecourse, 2200 W. Euclid Ave. (Go to Arlington Heights Patch for more information about this event.)
• Gurnee: Dusk on Sunday, July 2, to Tuesday, July 4, at Six Flags Great America as part of the amusement park's Fourth of July Fest.

If you want more fireworks before and after the Fourth, the pier will have displays at 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 10:15 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 2. That includes a display at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 5.

Navy Pier Fourth Of July Fireworks

• When: 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4. Live music at the Miller Lite Beer Garden runs 2 to 10 p.m.
• Where: Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
• More Info: Go to the pier's website.

Image via Patch

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