July 4th 2024 Fireworks, Events Around Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — There are multiple options to head to for fireworks displays and other Independence Day fun in and around Arlington.

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 Arlington and the surrounding areas.

Many people will be heading to Washington, D.C. for the big 4th of July Celebration on the National Mall. The National Park Service has posted a schedule of events, maps and other information online to make sure you're in the best spot to watch the fireworks display when it starts at 9:09 p.m.

If you head to D.C. earlier in the day, you can catch the National Independence Day Parade, which kicks of at 11:25 a.m. at 7th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W.

A Capitol Fourth, then annual concert broadcast by PBS, will start at 8 p.m. and provide a great place to watch the fireworks burst above the National Mall. This is a popular event, so get there early. Gates open at the U.S. Capitol grounds at 3 p.m.

July 4 Festivities For 2024

What: Bellevue Forest Citizens' Association 4th of July Parade
Where:
When: July 4, 9:15 a.m.
The tradition continues! Parade begins promptly at 9:15 a.m., at the intersection of Roberts Lane and Oxford Street.

What: 4th of July Celebration
Where: Walter Reed Center, 2909 16th St S, in Arlington
When: Friday, June 28, 1-3 p.m.
Gather for a celebration of America’s independence! Ice cream will be served along with patriotic songs and games led by 55+ volunteers. Sponsored by the Walter Reed 55+ Advisory Committee.

What: Bluemont Bell
Where: Constitution Gardens, corner of N. George Mason Drive and Wilson Boulevard.
When: July 4, at 12 p.m.
The Bluemont neighborhood will celebrate by ringing the bell in Constitution Gardens.

What: Douglas Park Civic Association 4th of July Parade/Potluck
Where: Douglas Park in Arlington
When: July 4, 10 a.m.
Activities start with bicycle decorating for kids and ends with a reading of the Declaration of Independence

What: Fairlington July 4th Parade
Where: Fairlington Fire Station on S. Abingdon St.
When: July 4, 10 a.m.
Every year, Fairlington residents show up by the hundreds to celebrate Independence Day and participate in the annual July 4th Parade, sponsored by the Fairlington Citizens Association and Fairlington Villages.

Today, 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.