Hoboken Bar Owner Has Big Plans For City On July 4

HOBOKEN, NJ — For years, restaurant owners in Hoboken have complained that sales slow down in summer and people leave town, but now a business owner is doing something about it.

With only a handful of low-cost daytime activities offered by the city in past summers, and two years of Independence Day celebrations that were eventually canceled, not much has been planned for July 4 week in Hoboken in the past. (The city's Cultural Affairs department tried a small fair on Sinatra Drive for two years in a row, but said it was lightly attended.)

And this year, Macy's fireworks were planned for the East River instead of the Hudson, so they will be harder to see from Hoboken. The annual Meadowlands Fair in East Rutherford has been canceled, and Jersey City hasn't announced details for their July 4 fireworks as of this writing (although they told Patch they will happen).

Pat Light, who owns several bar/restaurants in Hoboken, has announced a free July 4 celebration at Hoboken's Pier A.

The event, he says, will include live bands, "a ton of family-friendly bounce houses," and a beer garden. He says that he's gotten a permit from the city for Pier A, and the events will run from noon to 11 p.m. (He's encouraging people to hit the bars afterward.)

"This is the first time the city has allowed something like this to happen in I don't know how many years," he said in a recent video. "A lot of times, Hoboken is quiet in the summer. Not this year."

Light has mainly publicized the event on social media so far, but Patch will post a new story when more details are sent out.

In an announcement on TikTok, he noted people could enjoy the fireworks that will be shot from Jersey City (more about that here) and will be able to see the fireworks from the East River as well.

More Activities For Kids In Hoboken

Meanwhile, for the first time this year, the city has offered low-cost "Summer Arts" daytime programming for kids of all ages, ranging from hip-hop dance to clay to fashion design to improv/theater games.

You can sign up for the city's new programs here.