July 4th 2025 Fireworks, Events Around Worcester

WORCESTER, MA — 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 Worcester.

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 Worcester and the surrounding areas.

July 4 Festivities For 2025

Worcester 4th of July Independence Celebration
Where: Cristoforo Colombo Park
When: July 1, 5 p.m. activities; 9:30 fireworks

The city of Worcester Independence Day Celebration, presented by M&T Bank is on July 1 with a program starting at 5 p.m. at Cristoforo Colombo Park on Shrewsbury Street. The rain date is July 2.

SCHEDULE:

5:00 p.m. - Park opens: Food Court, Sponsor Exhibits & Giveaways, XLO Entertainment, and Activities for Kids

7:30 p.m. - Live Music, featuring Kamryn Richard

9:30 p.m. - Fireworks, with synchronized music broadcast on XLO 104.5

Featuring Live Music by Kamryn Richard

FAMILY FUN TIPS:

• Kids will love the splash park, and playground, plus cotton candy and other tasty treats for sale at the park! Bring a picnic blanket and chairs to enjoy this fun family event.
• Look for the Kid Zone, with activities from sponsor Market32 & Price Chopper, plus a Teddy Bear Clinic hosted by Family Health Center of Worcester
• Explore Shrewsbury Street, aka Worcester's "Restaurant Row" during your visit
• The Canal District is just a short walk away, check out our guide here
• Head downtown after the fireworks - plan your trip on our interactive map

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.