July 4th 2024 Fireworks, Events Around The Caldwells

CALDWELLS, NJ — Independence Day 2024 is getting closer, so it's time to find out where you can celebrate the holiday in the Caldwell area. This year, nearby 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 Caldwells and other nearby towns in Essex County.

Essex County recently announced the 2024 schedule for its popular annual Summer Music Concert Series. This year’s celebration will include three “concert and fireworks spectaculars.” See Related: Essex County Summer Concerts, Fireworks (2024 Event Schedule)

There are several fireworks shows open to the public that will take place this year in Essex County. The list includes:

BELLEVILLE – Belleville’s 2024 fireworks display will take place at dusk on July 4 at Belleville Municipal Stadium, 100 Passaic Avenue. The event will also include festivities – starting at 6 p.m. – which include face painting, food trucks, entertainers and a DJ. Learn more here.

BLOOMFIELD - Bloomfield will hold its annual Independence Day celebration with an event on Thursday, July 4 – including a public fireworks display. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with the fireworks scheduled to start at 9:20 p.m. Learn more here.

CALDWELLS - West Caldwell, Caldwell, North Caldwell, Roseland and Essex Fells will present this year’s West Essex fireworks show on Thursday, July 4 at the James Caldwell High School Baseball Field, 265 Westville Avenue in West Caldwell. Gates will open at 7 p.m. Fireworks will begin at dusk. Learn more here.

CEDAR GROVE – Cedar Grove’s 2024 fireworks display will take place on Monday, July 1 at Panther Park Field. Gates open at 7 p.m., and the fireworks will start at dusk. The event will also include a live DJ, refreshments for sale and activities. Learn more here.

EAST ORANGE – The City of East Orange will hold a firework show on Thursday, July 4 at East Orange Campus Field. Admission begins at 6 p.m., with fireworks scheduled for dusk. Visitors can enter the field via North Clinton or Prospect streets. No smoking or alcohol is allowed. Learn more here.

LIVINGSTON – Livingston Township will hold its 87th annual celebration on Thursday, July 4. Events kick off at the Oval at 9 a.m. with the largest Auto Show in NJ, and end with a 9 p.m. fireworks display. Learn more here.

MILLBURN/SHORT HILLS – Millburn will be holding an Independence Day event on Thursday, July 4. Morning activities begin at 9 a.m., and doors open for fireworks at 7:30 p.m. Learn more here.

NUTLEY - Nutley's annual 4th of July celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 4 on Franklin Avenue (between Chestnut Street and New Street in front of the Oval). Food and entertainment will be available all night. Fireworks are scheduled to start at dusk, organizers said. Learn more here.

VERONA – Verona will be bringing back its annual fireworks show on Friday, June 28 at the Verona Community Center. The party will begin at 7 p.m. with a DJ, dancing and entertainment. The fireworks will start around 9:15 p.m. Learn more here.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: A BRIEF HISTORY

Many U.S. residents 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.

This article contains reporting from the Patch national desk

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