Things to Do

The nation's capital is an exicting place to be on Independence Day! Join the many patriotic festivities taking place in honor of America's birthday, visit the nation's memorials dedicated to those who served our country, or enjoy recreational opportunities in one of the many DC area national parks.

NPS photo by Chalice Keith

11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m., Constitution Avenue NW between 7th Street and 17th Street
National Independence Day Parade

Marching bands, fife and drum corps, floats, military units, giant balloons, equestrian, drill teams and more celebrate Independence Day in this patriotic, flag-waving, red, white and blue celebration of America's birthday! The parade kicks off at 11:45 a.m. at 7th Street and Constitution Avenue NW and proceeds west to 17th Street. Learn more here.


1 p.m. to 8 p.m., southeast grounds of the Washington Monument
Sylvan Theater Family Activity Area

Calling all junior spies! Report to the Sylvan Theater and use the password Operation Independence! to embark on a scavenger hunt and learn about spying techniques during the American Revolution. This family activity is geared towards ages 10 and up and involves approximately a half mile of walking around the Washington Monument grounds.You can also complete your Independence Day Junior Ranger booklet full of family-friendly, fun activities to earn a special Fourth of July Junior Ranger badge!


8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., West Lawn of the United States Capitol
A Capitol Fourth Concert

This star-studded salute to Independence Day is broadcast live from the West Lawn of the United States Capitol and is free and open to the public. Gates open at 3 p.m. More at www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth.


9:09 p.m. to 9:27 p.m.
Fireworks on the National Mall

The National Park Service will once again host the annual Independence Day fireworks celebration on the National Mall, the nation’s most important civic space and home to more than a dozen memorials that commemorate great Americans and significant events in our nation’s history. The display will be held on Thursday, July 4, starting at 9:09 p.m. and will be launched from both sides of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Additional details for attending the July 4 fireworks display, including access points along the National Mall, prohibited items and road closures, will be released later this month. Complete information and updates on the Independence Day celebration can be found at www.nps.gov/foju.

Find Ranger Programs in DC Area Parks

Visiting DC for your July 4th holiday or looking for something to do in the local area? Set the calendar to July to check out ranger programs and more July 4th events at national parks throughout the DC area happening around or on Independence Day.

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Park l'île Sainte-Croix Lieu historique international Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park Acadia National Park Adams National Historical Park African American Civil War Memorial African Burial Ground National Monument Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail Alagnak Wild River Alaska Public Lands Alcatraz Island Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site Amache National Historic Site American Memorial Park Amistad National Recreation Area Anacostia Park Andersonville National Historic Site Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve Antietam National Battlefield Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Appalachian National Scenic Trail Appomattox Court House National Historical Park Arches National Park Arkansas Post National Memorial Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial Assateague Island National Seashore Aztec Ruins National Monument Badlands National Park Baltimore-Washington Parkway Bandelier National Monument Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site Bering Land Bridge National Preserve Big Bend National Park Big Cypress National Preserve Big Hole National Battlefield Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area Big Thicket National Preserve Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument Biscayne National Park Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park Blackwell School National Historic Site Blue Ridge Parkway Bluestone National Scenic River Booker T Washington National Monument Boston National Historical Park Boston African American National Historic Site Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Bryce Canyon National Park Buck Island Reef National Monument Buffalo National River Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail Cabrillo National Monument California National Historic Trail Camp Nelson National Monument Canaveral National Seashore Cane River Creole National Historical Park Canyon de Chelly National Monument Canyonlands National Park Cape Cod National Seashore Cape Hatteras National Seashore Cape Henry Memorial Part of Colonial National Historical Park Cape Krusenstern National Monument Cape Lookout National Seashore Capitol Hill Parks Capitol Reef National Park Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Capulin Volcano National Monument Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument Carlsbad Caverns National Park Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Castle Clinton National Monument Castle Mountains National Monument Catoctin Mountain Park Cedar Breaks National Monument Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park César E. Chávez National Monument Chaco Culture National Historical Park Chamizal National Memorial Chamizal monumento conmemorativo nacional Channel Islands National Park Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park Chesapeake Bay Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park Chickasaw National Recreation Area Chiricahua National Monument Christiansted National Historic Site City Of Rocks National Reserve Civil War Defenses of Washington Clara Barton National Historic Site Colonial National Historical Park Colorado National Monument Coltsville National Historical Park Congaree National Park Constitution Gardens Coronado National Memorial Cowpens National Battlefield Crater Lake National Park Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Cumberland Island National Seashore Curecanti National Recreation Area Cuyahoga Valley National Park Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park De Soto National Memorial Death Valley National Park Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Denali Nationalparken und Reservat Denali National Park & Preserve Devils Postpile National Monument Devils Tower National Monument Dinosaur National Monument Dry Tortugas National Park Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site Effigy Mounds National Monument Eisenhower National Historic Site El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Sendero Histórico Nacional El Malpais National Monument El Morro National Monument Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site Everglades National Park Federal Hall National Memorial Fire Island National Seashore First Ladies National Historic Site First State National Historical Park Flight 93 National Memorial Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Ford's Theatre Fort Bowie National Historic Site Fort Caroline National Memorial Fort Davis National Historic Site Fort Donelson National Battlefield Fort Dupont Park Fort Foote Park Fort Frederica National Monument Fort Laramie National Historic Site Fort Larned National Historic Site Fort Matanzas National Monument Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Fort Monroe National Monument Fort Necessity National Battlefield Fort Point National Historic Site Fort Pulaski National Monument Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Fort Scott National Historic Site Fort Smith National Historic Site Fort Stanwix National Monument Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park Fort Union National Monument Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Fort Washington Park Fossil Butte National Monument Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park Freedom Riders National Monument Friendship Hill National Historic Site Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve Gateway National Recreation Area Gateway Arch National Park Gauley River National Recreation Area General Grant National Memorial George Rogers Clark National Historical Park George Washington Memorial Parkway George Washington Birthplace National Monument George Washington Carver National Monument Gettysburg National Military Park Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Glacier National Park Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Glen Echo Park Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site Golden Gate National Recreation Area Golden Spike National Historical Park Governors Island National Monument Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument Grand Portage National Monument Grand Teton National Park Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site Great Basin National Park Great Egg Harbor River Great Falls Park Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve Great Smoky Mountains National Park Green Springs Greenbelt Park Guadalupe Mountains National Park Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Gulf Islands National Seashore Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Haleakalā National Park Hamilton Grange National Memorial Hampton National Historic Site Harmony Hall Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Harriet Tubman National Historical Park Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park Harry S Truman National Historic Site Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site Homestead National Historical Park Honouliuli National Historic Site Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Horseshoe Bend National Military Park Hot Springs National Park Hovenweep National Monument Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site Ice Age National Scenic Trail Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail Independence National Historical Park Indiana Dunes National Park Iñupiat Heritage Center Isle Royale National Park James A Garfield National Historic Site Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve Jewel Cave National Monument Jimmy Carter National Historical Park John Day Fossil Beds National Monument John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site John Muir National Historic Site Johnstown Flood National Memorial Joshua Tree National Park Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Kalaupapa National Historical Park Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Katmai National Park & Preserve Kenai Fjords National Park Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park Keweenaw National Historical Park Kings Mountain National Military Park Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site Kobuk Valley National Park Korean War Veterans Memorial Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Lake Mead National Recreation Area Lake Meredith National Recreation Area Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Lassen Volcanic National Park Lava Beds National Monument LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Lewis y Clark parque histórico nacional Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Lincoln Home National Historic Site Lincoln Memorial Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Little River Canyon National Preserve Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Lowell National Historical Park Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park Maggie L Walker National Historic Site Maine Acadian Culture Mammoth Cave National Park Manassas National Battlefield Park Manhattan Project National Historical Park Manzanar National Historic Site Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument Mesa Verde National Park Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument Minidoka National Historic Site Minute Man National Historical Park Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Mississippi National River & Recreation Area Missouri National Recreational River Mojave National Preserve Monocacy National Battlefield Monte Rainier Parque nacional Montezuma Castle National Monument Moores Creek National Battlefield Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail Morristown National Historical Park Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rushmore National Memorial Muir Woods National Monument Natchez National Historical Park Natchez Trace Parkway Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail National Capital Parks-East National Mall and Memorial Parks National Park of American Samoa National Parks of New York Harbor Natural Bridges National Monument Navajo National Monument New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park New England National Scenic Trail New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park New Philadelphia National Historic Site New River Gorge National Park & Preserve Nez Perce National Historical Park Nicodemus National Historic Site Ninety Six National Historic Site Niobrara National Scenic River Noatak National Preserve North Cascades National Park North Country National Scenic Trail Obed Wild & Scenic River Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Oklahoma City National Memorial Old Spanish National Historic Trail Olympic National Park Oregon National Historic Trail Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm Ozark National Scenic Riverways Padre Island National Seashore Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Pea Ridge National Military Park Pearl Harbor National Memorial Pecos National Historical Park Pennsylvania Avenue Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial Petersburg National Battlefield Petrified Forest National Park Petroglyph National Monument Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Pinnacles National Park Pipe Spring National Monument Pipestone National Monument Piscataway Park Point Reyes National Seashore Pony Express National Historic Trail Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Poverty Point National Monument President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site Presidio of San Francisco Prince William Forest Park Pullman National Historical Park Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site Rainbow Bridge National Monument Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Redwood National and State Parks Richmond National Battlefield Park Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River River Raisin National Battlefield Park Rock Creek Park Rocky Mountain National Park Roger Williams National Memorial Roosevelt Campobello International Park Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park Russell Cave National Monument Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Saguaro National Park Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Saint Croix Island International Historic Site Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park Salem Maritime National Historic Site Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve San Antonio Missions National Historical Park San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park San Juan National Historic Site San Juan Island National Historical Park Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Santa Fe National Historic Trail Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Saratoga National Historical Park Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site Scotts Bluff National Monument Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Shenandoah National Park Shiloh National Military Park Sitka National Historical Park Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument Springfield Armory National Historic Site Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Statue Of Liberty National Monument Ste. 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REPEATING EVENTS

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  Special Events

  Join the festivities in Washington, DC, including the Independence Day Parade, Fireworks Display, and the Salute to America.

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  Plan Your Visit

  Find information to plan your trip around town on July 4, including directions, closures, security, and safety tips.

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  Social Media & Alerts

  Share your DC Fourth of July experience on social media! Stay informed with alerts and fun-facts about the DC monuments.

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  Photos and Multimedia

  View photos and videos of Independence Day festivities and preparations on the National Mall.

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  History of Independence Day

  Take a moment to reflect on why millions of Americans gather for celebrations across the country on July 4th every year.

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  Making the Fourth Happen

  Ever wonder what it takes to put on a show for Independence Day in the nation's capital? Learn more about behind the scenes.