July 4th 2024 Fireworks, Events Around Mendham, Chester

MENDHAM-CHESTER, NJ — Independence Day is fast approaching so it's time to find out where you can celebrate in and around the Mendham and Chester areas. Events include fireworks, festivals, parades, and other 4th of July fun.

To help you fit it all in on your calendar, Patch has put together a guide to what’s going on around July 4 in Mendham, Chester, and the surrounding areas.

Fourth of July Festivities For 2024

Chester

• What: Annual Chester Fireman's Carnival and Fireworks
• Where: Chubb Park, 290 West Main Street, Chester
• When: The carnival runs Tuesday, June 25 through Saturday, June 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with fireworks at 10 p.m. Friday night ($10 parking fee).

Mendham (Brookside Parade)

• What: Brookside July 4 Parade
• Where: East Main Street, Brookside
• When: Thursday, July 4 beginning at 9 a.m.

Mendham (Fireworks)

• What: Mendham Township's 5th Annual Fireworks Celebration (suggested $10 donation)
• Where: Mosle Field, Mosle Preserve Road, Mendham Township
• When: Monday, July 1 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Randolph

• What: Freedom Festival and Fireworks
• Where: County College of Morris, 214 Center Grove Road, Randolph
• When: This festival runs Thursday, July 11 through Saturday, July 13 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., and fireworks are scheduled Saturday (parking fee $5).

Dover

• What: July 4 Celebration and Fireworks
• Where: Hamilton Field, 302 E. McFarlan St., Dover
• When: Wednesday, July 3 beginning at 6 p.m. with fireworks later in the evening.

Lake Hopatcong

• What: Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club Fireworks Show
• Where: The private club is located on Bertrand Island in Mount Arlington, and fireworks will be visible near the southern part of the lake.
• When: Friday, June 28 at 9:30 p.m.

You can also click here to see Patch's list of all Independence Day-related events and fireworks going on in Morris County for 2024, which we will update with any new info.

On July 4, 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).

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.