Fireworks Near Me: Freehold, July 4th 2024 Events

FREEHOLD, NJ — Independence Day is fast approaching so it's time to find out where you can celebrate in and around Freehold. Area events include fireworks, festivals and other Fourth of July fun.

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 Freehold and the surrounding areas.

July 4 Festivities For 2024

What: July 4th Fireworks
Where: Freehold Raceway 130 Park Avenue, Freehold
When: July 3, 5:30-9:30 p.m.

Free admission – bring your own chairs, food and non-alcoholic beverages.

What: Hazlet Township Independence Day July 4th Fireworks 2024
Where: Veterans Park at 1776 Union Ave
When: July 3, 6 p.m.

Join Hazlet Township for the annual Independence Day celebration on July 3, 2024 (rain date July 5). DJ Music and food trucks start at 6 p.m. and fireworks go off at dusk. Over at the Swim Club, there will be a live concert from 2 to 4 p.m. for those who purchase a Day Pass or hold seasonal memberships.

What: Annual Declaration of Independence Reading
Where: Freehold Borough Fire House, 49 West Main Street, Freehold
When: July 4, 9 a.m.

Join the Borough of Freehold for the annual Declaration of Independence reading. Attendees who wish to read should arrive by 8:45 a.m. The reading will be livestreamed on the Freehold Facebook Page.

What: Independence Day Celebration in Holmdel
Where: Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel
When: July 4, 12-3 p.m.

Join the Longstreet Farm staff as they celebrate Independence Day with games and contests for free!

What: Monmouth Battlefield Special Event
Where: Monmouth Battlefield State Park Visitor's Center, 20 State Route 33
When: July 4, 1-3 p.m.

Join the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield and Monmouth Battlefield Park personnel as they hold a free Fourth of July Celebration. At 1 p.m. there will be a reproduction full-sized Revolutionary War cannon firing demonstration given by Mott’s Artillery, and from 1 to 3 p.m., children's artillery and infantry drills will be held.

What: Thursday’s ROCK! Eddie Testa Band
Where: Hall of Records
When: July 4, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Join Downtown Freehold for this edition of the Thursday’s ROCK! Concert Series. Attendees can see the Eddie Testa Band take the stage on July 4th for free.

What: Jenkinson’s Independence Day Fireworks
Where: Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, 300 Ocean Ave N, Point Pleasant Beach
When: July 4, 9:30-9:45 p.m.

Celebrate Independence Day with Jenkinson’s during their July 4th fireworks show!

A Brief Background on Independence Day
Today, Americans celebrate the birth of a new nation 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.

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.