Enjoy Fireworks in Comfort: Lakefront Plaza Seating and Picnic Supper

Columbia Association will be offering plaza seating, picnic supper and cash bar at the annual Friends of the Fourth festivities. The Columbia Lakefront Plaza will be the setting for communal tables, chairs and a buffet prepared by Offshore restaurant. The site provides proximity to the evening’s musical entertainment and an uncrowded and comfortable view of the spectacular fireworks. Tickets are $85/person.

The Fourth of July all-you-can-eat picnic spread offered by Offshore will include Italian-style Beef Sausage with onions and peppers, Smoked BBQ Chicken, Wagyu Burger, Veggie Sandwich, Lobster Mac & Cheese, Potato Salad, Mexican Street Corn Salad and Fruit Salad. Brownies, lemon bars, popsicles and ice cream bars are the featured desserts. The cash bar will include a variety of local beers, wines and signature cocktails. The buffet and cash bar open at 6 p.m., the buffet closes at 8:30 p.m., and the last call for the bar is at 9 p.m.

The entertainment for the evening, produced by the Columbia Festival of the Arts, also begins at 6 p.m. with Holly Montgomery Band. Known for her soulful voice and confessional songwriting, Montgomery tells a universal story through her songs. She will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by Sugaray Rayford, an American soul blues singer and songwriter. He has released five albums to date and been awarded three Blues Music Awards. Fireworks begin around 9:20 p.m.

Reserved parking in the Sterrett Place surface parking lot is available to Friends of the Fourth ticket purchasers for an additional $15 per car and will be open starting at 8 a.m. (The Howard County Police Department will close Little Patuxent Parkway from Broken Land Parkway to Sterrett Place at 6:30 p.m. until the crowd disperses after the fireworks, but attendees with Sterrett Place parking passes will still be able to enter the lot later by traveling southbound on Little Patuxent Parkway and turning left onto Sterrett Place. After the fireworks, cars in the Sterrett Place lot will be able to exit immediately by turning right onto Little Patuxent Parkway.)

The July 4th festivities are presented by Howard County Government and Columbia Association in concert with The Howard Hughes Corporation and other partners. Proceeds benefit Columbia Lakefront activities.

To purchase tickets for the Friends of the Fourth plaza seating and picnic supper and to buy a reserved parking pass, visit https://FriendsoftheFourth.eventbrite.com.