2026 July 4 Fireworks Guide For Marlboro & Colts Neck

MARLBORO-COLTS NECK, NJ — Fourth of July activities in Marlboro and Colts Neck could have extra sparkle in 2026, the 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial, of the Declaration of Independence.

The holiday falls on a Saturday in the middle of a three-day weekend, July 3-5.

To help you fit it all in on your 4th of July calendar, Patch has put together a guide to fireworks and other celebrations in Marlboro, Colts Neck and the surrounding areas.

July 4 Festivities

• Bell Works Annual Fireworks
  • Date: June 30
  • Location: Bell Works
  • Details: Join Bell Works for their annual fireworks display on June 30, featuring food, drinks and more.
• Atlantic Highlands Fireworks Show
  • Date: July 2
  • Location: Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor
  • Details: Enjoy a special fireworks show as part of the Atlantic Highlands Fireman’s Fair.
• Colts Neck Business Association Fireworks Celebration
  • Date: July 3
  • Location: Bucks Mill Recreation Area
  • Details: Join the Colts Neck Business Association for their annual fireworks celebration.
• 2026 Riverview Medical Center Foundation Family Fireworks
  • Date: July 3
  • Location: 810 Navesink River Road, Locust
  • Details: Take part in Riverview Medical Center’s annual Family Fireworks event, featuring dinner, entertainment and more.
• Oceanfest
  • Date: July 4
  • Location: Pier Village
  • Details: Head over to Long Branch for Oceanfest, one of the largest 4th of July celebrations in New Jersey, featuring shopping, fireworks and more.
• Commemoration of Independence Day
  • Date: July 4
  • Location: Monmouth Battlefield State Park
  • Details: Join the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield, Monmouth Battlefield State Park and more for a celebration of Independence Day, featuring demonstrations, a living history camp and more.
• America 250 Anniversary Celebration
  • Date: July 5
  • Location: Freehold Raceway
  • Details: Join Freehold Borough for America’s 250th anniversary celebration, featuring music, fireworks and more.

Celebrations around the country recall not only the events leading up to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, but also look forward and aim to make the 4th of July weekend a massive, multigenerational cultural moment focused on community connections and charitable giving.

America’s Block Party, an unprecedented coast-to-coast initiative, is one of the signature events of America 250, the congressionally chartered nonprofit overseeing the semiquincentennial celebration.

A Times Square Ball Drop, a rolling series of ball drops, timed to occur at midnight on July 3 in every U.S. time zone from Guam to American Samoa, is part of the “Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show,” creating a nearly 24-hour celebration of the 250th anniversary.

It’s part of the broader “Giving 4th” initiative that aims to make and establish Independence Day the biggest annual day of giving.

A time capsule will be buried in Philadelphia to be opened in 2276 on July 4. It contains a carefully curated collection of letters and artifacts reflecting the leadership, institutions, and communities that shape the country today.

It will include contributions from all three branches of the U.S. federal government and submissions from each of the 50 states, Washington D.C., and five territories.

Separately, the White House’s Freedom 250’s biggest spectacles are the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, running June 25 to July 10; the July 4 Salute to America Fireworks, also on the National Mall; “Sail 4th 250,” billed as the largest-ever flotilla of tall ships from around the world in New York Harbor; and Rushmore 250, an iconic 4th of July fireworks on July 3 alongside military concerts and live presidential reenactors.

Are you planning an event this summer? Feature it so nearby readers see it all across Patch — including in roundups like this!