July 4th 2024 Fireworks, Events Around Doylestown

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Independence Day is fast approaching so it's time to find out where you can celebrate in and around Doylestown. 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 the Doylestown area.

July 4 Festivities For 2024

What: Tri-Municipal Parade
Where: New Britain Borough, Chalfont and New Britain Township
When: Thursday, July 4 at 9:30 a.m.

The flag-waving Tri-Municipal 4th of July Parade steps off on Thursday, July 4, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. The parade begins at the Town Center in New Britain Borough and ends at North Branch Park in New Britain Township. The march will include local politicians, veterans, floats, organizations and lots of red, white and blue. Bring lawn chairs to enjoy the hometown parade. The parade is presented by the Park & Recreation Advisory Board of New Britain Township.

What: Fonthill Fourth in Doylestown
Where: Thursday, July 4
When: 12 to 4 p.m.

About: Fonthill Castle’s old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration takes place on Thursday, July 4 from 12 to 4 p.m. on the castle grounds. Highlights of the day include a children’s decorated bike parade, wheelbarrow and sack races, live musicians, food trucks, antique bicycles, historic town ball (a precursor to baseball), and other fun activities. The event’s beloved Decorated Bicycle Parade will open the day at 12:30 p.m. All participating children receive cheers from the crowd and a special certificate after pedaling down the historic site’s famed tree-lined driveway on their pre-decorated bicycles. Live music throughout the day will be provided by the Ring the Rafters Quartet, the Delaware Valley Saxophone Quartet, and popular family performer Lolly Hopwood. The PA Wheelmen will be on hand with their annual Antique Bike Demonstration and musician Darcy Fair will engage families with Revolutionary tunes and tales with harp accompaniment. Food will be provided by Big Poppa’s BBQ, Bonjour Creperie, Dough and Co., and KC’s Funnel Cakes. Tickets to Fonthill Castle’s 4th of July are $5 for adults, $1 for youth (ages 6-17), and free for children 5 and under. Tickets are available online at mercermuseum.org/july4 and will be available at the door for cash only.

What: Quakertown Community Day With Fireworks
Where: Memorial Park, 600 West Mill Street
When: Thursday, July 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Quakertown Community Day opens with a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. and concludes with a Skyshooter Fireworks Display at 9:30 p.m. The day will feature a car show from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., arts and crafts vendors from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., bounce houses from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., fire department water battles from 1 to 2:30 p.m., Lehigh Valley Hot Air Balloon from 3 p.m. to dusk, the Quakertown Band from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and lots more. Click here for a calendar of events.

What: A Blueberry Fourth
Where: Peddler's Village in Lahaska
When: Thursday, July 4 to Sunday, July 7

About: Peddler’s Village will celebrate Blueberry Month during the long Independence Day
weekend kicking off on the Fourth of July. Starting on July 4 and continuing through July 7, the village's Red, White, and Blueberries BBQ Bash will celebrate both the extended holiday weekend and the fruit recognized during National Blueberry Month in July. The festival will include all-American grilled favorites, live music, and old-fashioned lawn games including a balloon toss, bubble-making, watermelon-eating contests, and more. Guests can enjoy fresh blueberries, blueberry pies, other blueberry treats and beverages, kids’ activities, and shop specials. Click here to read more.

What: Fireworks
Where: New Hope-Lambertville (Delaware River)
When: Friday, July 5 at 9 p.m.

Fireworks will again light up the sky over New Hope on Friday, July 5 as part of Visit New Hope's Summer Series Fireworks. Before the fireworks, visitors will find an assortment of vendors, artists and live entertainment along Stockton Avenue from 5 to 9 p.m. And in the adjacent Lenape Park, Odd Logic Brewing will be selling an assortment of brews and cocktails. The evening concludes with a fireworks display over the river presented by the New Hope Chamber of Commerce and New Hope Celebrates. The Summer Series Fireworks continue on August 2 and Sept. 13. Paid parking will be available at the New Hope-Solebury High School and at Union Square.

What: 51st Southampton Days and Fireworks
Where: Tamanend Upper Southampton Park, 1255 Second Street Pike, Southampton
When: July 1 to 6

The 51st Annual Southampton Days Country Fair takes place July 1 to 6 with events, a parade and fireworks. Visit SouthamptonDays.com for more information. On July 4, a baby parade starts at 9 a.m. followed by the Sam Costantini Annual 4th of July Parade at 9:30 a.m. Evening events include free concerts from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Midway Stage and at the Klinger Middle School Fireworks Stage. Fireworks are scheduled for 9:35 p.m. weather permitting. Free bus service will be provided from area shopping centers. Riders will be returned after the show but may experience up to a one hour wait.

What: Living History Day
Where: Washington Crossing Historic Park
When: Thursday, July 4 from Noon to 4 p.m.

About: Washington Crossing Historic Park will turn back the clocks to July 4, 1776 during a Fourth of July Living History Day. Visitors can watch living historians demonstrate crafts and see a military encampment. A highlight of the day will be readings of the Declaration of Independence at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 for adults ages 12 and over; $5 for children ages 5-11; and free for those under 5, active duty military, and members of the Friends of Washington Crossing Park. Families with up to two adults and two children living in the same household can purchase a single-family ticket for $25. Pre-registration is recommended. Click here to get tickets. Admission to Bowman’s Hill Tower is included in the ticket to Living History Day.

What: Rebels and Redcoats Car Show
Where: Washington Crossing Historic Park
When: Sunday, July 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

About: Car owners and lovers are invited to attend the fourth annual Rebels & Redcoats Classic Car Show. This unique show features American, French, British and German cars, representing the
four countries involved in the Revolutionary War. There is no fee to attend as a spectator. All proceeds will benefit the non-profit Friends of Washington Crossing Park’s historical and educational programming. Click here to register your car.

On the Fourth, 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.