DELMARVA - Celebrations for July 4th are coming up across Delaware and Maryland and communities are gearing up for a holiday weekend filled with fireworks, parades and patriotic fun. This guide rounds up events taking place across the region, including traffic and parking information, to help you celebrate Independence Day on Delmarva.
Lewes
The City of Lewes is beginning its celebration on July 4 at 9 a.m. with old fashioned games for children on Second Street.
At 1:30 p.m., the Lewes Independence Day Boat Parade will leave from the Roosevelt Inlet to be visible around 2 p.m. at the judges' stand in Fisherman's Wharf. Boats will be judged on the best use of patriotic decorations and the awards ceremony will be held on the deck of the Lightship Overfalls at 3:30 p.m.
The Doo-Dah parade will follow that beginning near Lloyd's Market on Savannah Road. The time the parade officially begins is variable every year but is listed as approximately 5 p.m.
Fireworks will be launched from Lewes Beach at dusk. The fireworks are funded byÂ
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth is holding its celebrations on Sunday, July 5. Fireworks will launch at 9:30 p.m. from the beach on Brooklyn Avenue and be visible from the beach and boardwalk. Musical group, The Funsters, will perform at the bandstand at 8 p.m. and will resume after the fireworks display ends.
Road closures during the celebration include:
The bandstand area will be closed to cars from 6 p.m. until midnight
Only bus traffic and residents will be allowed on Henlopen and Surf avenues after 7 p.m.
No vehicles will be allowed to cross Rehoboth Avenue at the circle after 7:30 p.m.
Rehoboth Avenue heading east and Church Street from State Route 1 will be closed to all traffic after 8 p.m. After then, all vehicles will have to enter Rehoboth Beach through State Road to Bayard Avenue
Visitors north of Rehoboth Avenue will exit through Rehoboth and Columbia avenues. Visitors to the south of Rehoboth Avenue will use Bayard Avenue to State Route 1 southbound only
No parking will be allowed on Surf Avenue, on Grenoble Place, Surfside Place, the convention center parking lot or any marked spots in the ocean block of Laurel Street for the event.
Breakwater Estates, off Munchy Branch and Wolfe Neck Roads, will also be putting on their parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 4. The opening ceremony will recognize community veterans and first responders with awards.
Dewey Beach
Dewey Beach will launch their fireworks off the bay near McKinley Avenue at 9 p.m. on July 4. The show will be visible across all of Dewey Beach.Â
The town of Dewey said parking will be difficult and encourages visitors to arrive early if they are driving in. The town said to consider using the DART Beach Bus or Jolly Trolley to avoid having to park.
Millsboro
Millsboro is celebrating America 250 a little earlier. The Stars and Stripes celebration will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 27.
Downtown activities will be held along Main Street from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. This includes a parade, live music and caricature and balloon artists. Ballpark activities will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Millsboro Little League on West State Street. Fireworks will begin at dusk.
Bethany Beach
Bethany Beach is starting its celebration on Friday, July 3. There will be a parade at noon and the town says participants can pre-register on its website, but day of entries are also welcome. Bikers and walkers are allowed to join in the parade without registering. Float awards will be presented at 7:15 p.m. at the bandstand. A performance from The Funsters will follow at 7:30 p.m.
A concert from a Zac Brown tribute band, Uncaged, will begin at the bandstand around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. The fireworks show will take place after the performance or at dusk.
Fenwick Island
The Fenwick Island Independence Day parade will begin at 9 a.m. on July 4. The parade will march from Faucett-Okie Park to Pollinator Park on East Lewes Street. No bicycles are allowed in the parade.
Prizes will be awarded for the most patriotic outfits at the end of the parade route and a post-parade celebration will be held at The Station with complementary drinks and refreshments.
Ocean City
There are two places people will be able to celebrate and watch fireworks in Ocean City on July 4.
North Division Street festivities will begin with a Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers tribute band at 6 p.m. They will be followed by a live speed painter at 7 p.m. and a performance from a Neil Diamond Tribute Band at 8 p.m.
Northside park will begin their celebration at 8 p.m. with music from DJ BK and Radio Ocean City. Fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m. and will be visible in both locations.
Ocean Pines
Ocean Pines is having their own celebrations at Veterans Memorial Park on July 4.
The Freedom 5K at Veterans Memorial Park begins at 8 a.m. Day of registration will open at 7 a.m. Registration is $30 in advance and $35 on July 4.Â
The celebration continues at the park with music, food and carnival games from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Carnival admission is $20 per wristband. Fireworks will start around 9:15 p.m.
Ocean Pines said parking is available in the green lot by Taylor Bank and the Ocean Pines Library. Handicap parking will be open at Veterans Memorial Park.
Cathell Road will be closed from the Ocean Parkway entrance to the Sports Core Pool entrance after 1 p.m. on July 4. Both sides of Ocean Parkway from Offshore Lane to the Manklin Meadows intersection will close around 8:15 p.m. with no seating allowed. These roads will reopen after fireworks are cleared.
Berlin
Fireworks will be set off from Heron Park at dusk on Friday, July 3. The town of Berlin said this typically occurs between 9 and 9:30 p.m. Fireworks will be visible across town.
