Seasonal & Holidays

Fireworks Near Me: Wilmette July 4th 2025 Events

Your guide to fireworks, parades and other July 4 celebrations in and around Wilmette.

WILMETTE, 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 Wilmette.

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

July 4 Festivities In Cook County For 2025

Arlington Heights

Find out what's happening in Wilmette-Kenilworthfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Find out what's happening in Wilmette-Kenilworthfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Elk Grove Village

Evanston

Glencoe

Glenview

Hoffman Estates

Lemont

Morton Grove

Northbrook

Oak Forest

Oak Lawn

Orland Park

Palos Heights

Park Ridge

Rosemount

Schaumburg

Skokie

Tinley Park

Wilmette

Winnetka


Patch has rounded up the biggest July 4 fireworks displays and other events happening in Illinois in celebration of Independence Day. Click here to see our full Illinois list.


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.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.