July 4th 2025 Fireworks, Events Around New Brunswick

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — 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 New Brunswick.

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 New Brunswick and the surrounding areas.

July 4 Festivities For 2025:

1. New Brunswick: New Brunswick, NJ, will host its annual Independence Day fireworks display on July 3 at Boyd Park. The fireworks are scheduled to begin around 9:15 p.m., with music and other festivities starting at 6:00 p.m., according to New Brunswick City Center. There is a rain date of July 6.

The event is free and open to all, with bands playing music starting at 6 p.m. Handicapped parking is available via the main entrance of Boyd Park on Route 18, and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs. Food and other treats will be available for purchase at Boyd Park.

• Time: The fireworks display is scheduled to begin at 9:15 p.m.
• Location: The event takes place at Boyd Park in New Brunswick.
• Music: Bands will be playing music starting at 6 p.m.
• Free and Open: The event is free and open to the public.
• Parking: Handicap parking is available at the main entrance of Boyd Park on Route 18.
• Activities: Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs for seating.

2. Woodbridge Twp. will host its 2025 Independence Day celebration July 3. The event will go from 4-9 p.m. at Alvin P. Williams Memorial Park in Sewaren. Gates open at 4 p.m. Bring your own lawn chairs. No alcoholic beverages will be allowed. The rain date is July 5. Live music from headliner band AM Gold. Alvin P. Williams Memorial Park, Port Reading Ave, Woodbridge Township, NJ, 07077

3. Edison Township will hold their 4th of July Celebration and Fireworks on Friday, July 4th, 2025 at Papaianni Park. Gates open at 5 p.m.

4. If you're looking for a unique way to celebrate the Fourth of July this year, look no further than "Independence Day on the Raritan River," held at East Jersey Old Town Village in Piscataway. This free family-friendly event will go from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. July 4. East Jersey Old Town Village is located at 1050 River Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

"Step back in time and celebrate Independence Day on the banks of the Raritan River at East Jersey Old Town Village, Middlesex County’s premier historical site for living history."

Enjoy a day filled with historical stories, patriotic-themed music and food. Attendees can also explore the nearby Cornelius Low House Museum.

Event highlights include:

• Stories by historical re-enactors of General George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette and Baron von Steuben
• 18th-century music performances
• Fife and drum performances
• Food from Lady Kettle Corn, The Craft Caffe and The Mexi-Boys

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.