Here's where to see fireworks in Central Jersey for the Fourth of July
Did you know Central Jersey was home to the nation's very first Fourth of July celebration? On July 4, 1778, the first national event celebrating the country's independence from England took place in Piscataway.
The tradition continues this year, with dozens of cities, townships and boroughs hosting celebrations marking Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4.
Be sure to check the forecast, town websites and social media pages before heading out to ensure fireworks are taking place as scheduled.
Here's the list of towns hosting July 4 fireworks (and some other events), broken down by county:
Hunterdon County
Fireworks will light up Flemington on Monday, July 3. The fun, which includes a DJ and ice cream truck, begins at 6:30 p.m. at Reading-Fleming Intermediate School. Spectators are asked not to arrive before 6:30 p.m. Fireworks will be launched shortly after 9 p.m. Rain date is Wednesday, July 5. Info: 908-782-8840.
There are no fireworks, but Lebanon Borough will be celebrating the holiday with its 76th annual Fourth of July parade. The house decorating contest − where awards are given for the best patriotic décor − begins at 7 a.m. The children's parade steps off on Sutton Place at 9:30 a.m. The main parade begins on the east end of Main Street at 10 a.m., and will follow its traditional route to Holjes-Shepard Park. There, a picnic and celebration will immediately begin. Activities at the park will include the singing of the national anthem and a flag-raising ceremony. Info: lebanonboro4thofjulyparade.com.
In the Sergeantsville section of Delaware Township, The Great Crate Race tradition continues on July 4 on Lower Ferry Road (also known as Delaware Downs). The parade starts at 8:45 a.m. and the race starts at 9 a.m. For more information contact Kathleen Herman at kah7999@hotmail.com or Steve Smotrich at stevesmotrich@gmail.com.
Middlesex County
East Brunswick will host a "Fireworks Spectacular" celebration on Tuesday, July 4 at the Community Arts Center, 721 Cranbury Road. Doors open at 6 p.m. with fireworks at 9:30 p.m. There will be children's activities, food trucks and live music. Rain date is July 5. Parking is available at the Community Arts Center, Middlesex Fairgrounds and Heavenly Farms. Info: eastbrunswick.org/724/July-4th.
Edison residents can enjoy live music from Black Rose, 80's Revolution and B Street Band (A Bruce Springsteen tribute), food vendors, a beer and wine garden, kiddie zone and free fireworks at the township's annual July 4 celebration. The fireworks display will begin at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4 at Papaianni Park, 100 Municipal Blvd., with the day's festivities beginning at 4 p.m. Residents are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Shuttle bus service will be available from 3 to 10 p.m. to transport residents who park throughout the Edison Square Complex, 2025-2045 Lincoln Highway. A trackless train will also be available to take people who need assistance from the park entrance into the park. Senior residents interested in transportation from their homes to the celebration should call 732-248-7345. For more information on fireworks and the celebration, call 732-248-7310.
On Sunday, July 2, Highland Park will host "Fireworks in the Park" with festivities beginning at 5 p.m. at Donaldson Park, South 2nd Avenue and Riverview Drive. The fireworks are expected to begin at 9:20 p.m. There will also be family-friendly activities such as face painting, a bounce house, obstacle course, music and food vendors. Rain date is Monday, July 3. Info: hpboro.com/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/4676/19?curm=7&cury=2023. Boyd Park is the site for Independence Day in New Brunswick. Starting at 6 p.m., festivities include food trucks, music, amusements and more. Sharing the fireworks with Highland Park, the display is set off on the borough's side of the Raritan River in Donaldson Park. Info: 732-745-5125.
The Milltown July 4 parade begins at 10 a.m. featuring American Legion Commander Ron Dixon as the 2023 Grand Marshall. The fishing derby starts the festivities at 6 a.m., followed by a Fun Run and 5K race at Bradford Park and a duck race at the Main Street Bridge. There's also a pizza-eating contest at 6 p.m., a patriotic house contest, a bike contest and a variety of musical offerings throughout the day. Food will be available at Bradford Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Info: milltown4thofjuly.wordpress.com.
Monroe will be lit on Tuesday, July 4 as fireworks are set for sundown at Thompson Park. Festivities start at 5 p.m. and include food, toy and craft vendors, rides (no charge), a DJ and a visiting robot. The entrance for the day's event is at Fir Drive. Info: 732-723-5000.
In North Brunswick, as part of the North Brunswick Youth Sports Festival, there will be "July 4 Grand Finale" fireworks with the event taking place from 6 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, off Route 1. Tickets and information for the festival can be obtained at northbrunswickyouthsportsfestival.com. All proceeds from the Youth Sports Festival go to local youth sports groups.
Perth Amboy will celebrate Independence Day on Sunday, July 2, Monday, July 3, and Tuesday, July 4. On Sunday, the Proprietary House (Royal Governor's Mansion), 149 Kearney Ave., will offer museum tours from 1 to 4 p.m. The gift and tea shops will be open. Festival and fireworks are planned for Monday on Sadowski Parkway with food trucks, arts and crafts vendors and live music from 3 to 10 p.m. Fireworks will begin at 9:20 p.m. Bring lawn chairs and blankets. Rain date is Wednesday, July 5. On Tuesday, Proprietary House will host an Open House Reception from noon to 12:45 p.m. in advance of the Procession to City Hall Circle, 260 High St., where the city will host an official celebration, including the ringing of the Liberty Bell, reading of the Declaration of Independence and featuring the Sons of the American Revolution Cannon Crew and New Jersey Fifes and Drums beginning at 1 p.m. Info: celebratestarsandstripes.com.
Piscataway has fireworks planned for Tuesday, July 4 with activities including food trucks, a DJ, rides and other activities beginning at 5 p.m. at the Piscataway High School football field, 100 Behmer Road. Fireworks commence at 9 p.m. Rain date is Wednesday, July 5. Call the Recreation Department's cancellation hotline at 732-562-2389 for more information.
Also in Piscataway, East Jersey Old Town Village, 1050 River Road, will host "A Revolutionary Celebration: Independence Day on the Raritan" from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 4. There will be Revolutionary War reenactors, children's crafts and historic buildings. A "Feu de Joie" ("Fire of Joy") will cap off the celebration. The Mark Heter Band, a brass band, will perform two hours of patriotic music interspersed with cannon fire from 3 to 5 p.m. Tom Avakian of the band will sing for the first time in 240 years a recently discovered drinking song with 22 verses. It was composed in 1783 for a July 4th party at the French home of Benjamin Franklin outside Paris after word had been received that the British had agreed to a peace treaty that would formally create the United States of America as an independent democracy.
South Brunswick will hold its Independence Day Celebration on Monday, July 3 at Crossroads South Middle School on Major Road. The festivities, which include a DJ and food trucks, begin at 6 p.m. Fireworks start at 8:45 p.m. Rain date is Friday, July 7. Info: https://southbrunswicknj.gov/recreation/summer-2023-events/.
Gates open at 4 p.m. in Woodbridge for the annual Independence Day celebration and fireworks display on Monday, July 3. The event, which includes musical acts, will take place at Alvin P. Williams Memorial Park on the Sewaren waterfront. At approximately 9:30 p.m., a fireworks display in synch with a wide selection of patriotic and contemporary music (simulcast on 95.1 WOLD radio) will highlight the day's festivities. Lawn chairs, blankets and picnics are encouraged. There is no reserved seating and no alcoholic beverages permitted in the park. In case of inclement weather, call the Department of Recreation at 732-602-6045 or visit twp.woodbridge.nj.us. Rain date is Wednesday, July 5.
Somerset County
Marking 129 years, another longstanding Fourth of July tradition will return at the Middlebrook Encampment on Middlebrook Road off Route 22 in Bridgewater. The campground is one of the first sites where the new American flag flew over the Continental Army commanded by Gen. George Washington in 1777.
The traditional ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4, with welcoming remarks from Bridgewater Mayor Matthew Moench and noted Somerset County historian Jesse Havens will share historical notes about New Jersey’s contribution to the Revolutionary War. Master of ceremonies will be former Bound Brook Mayor Bob Fazen. The event will celebrate the 247th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which will be read by "The Revolutionary Detective" author Bob Mayers.
Somerset County’s fireworks and Independence Day celebration kick off on Tuesday, July 4 at North Branch Park on Milltown Road in Bridgewater. Admission is free. Gates to the park will open at 6 p.m. The fireworks display will begin at 9:30 p.m. Among the festivities are food trucks, the New .Jersey 3rd Regiment Revolutionary War encampment, and the New York Bee Gees will perform 1970s Bee Gees favorites along with other disco classics from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., and again from 10 to 11 p.m. Visitors should bring lawn chairs or blankets. Picnic baskets are allowed, but alcohol and personal fireworks are prohibited.
The Somerset County Park Commission and the Bridgewater Police ask the public to arrive early to avoid parking delays. Parking will not be allowed on Routes 202 and 22. Milltown Road will be closed at approximately 9 p.m. Heavy car and foot traffic is expected. Traffic delays are expected for about 30 minutes after the fireworks show.
Milltown Road will remain closed at the conclusion of the fireworks for 30 minutes to one hour while local neighborhood pedestrians walk from the park. Bridgewater Police will be on hand to assist park staff with traffic flow. Updates will be available on the Activity Hotline at 908-722-1200, ext. 5351, and on social media. In case of inclement weather, fireworks only will be held on Wednesday, July 5.
There will also be fireworks on July 4 after the Somerset Patriots game against the Reading Fightin' Phils at TD Bank Ballpark on East Main Street in Bridgewater.
In Franklin, there will be the township's annual Independence Day celebration and fireworks activities from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, July 3 followed by fireworks at 9:15 p.m. at the municipal complex, 475 DeMott Lane. This family-friendly celebration will include food trucks, exhibitors from local township businesses, organizations and children’s activities. Musical performances will be at the gazebo by the newly formed Township Jazz band, the Villagers Theatre and the featured band, Total Soul.
General event parking is available in the lawn area by the gazebo on DeMott Lane and Sampson G. Smith School. ADA parking is available near the gazebo lawn area and the lot behind the animal shelter. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets, lawn chairs and their own refreshments. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed. Photos and videos will be taken during the event for promotional purposes (attendance, the town states, implies consent). With the exception of service dogs, animals are not permitted. Rain date is at 6 p.m. Friday, July 7. Info: Franklin Township Parks and Recreation at 732-873-1991, Option 4.
North Plainfield has two events to mark the Fourth of July. At the West End School Field on Green Brook Road, the township will host Community Day on Saturday, July 1 beginning at 5 p.m. with fireworks by Garden State Fireworks at 9:15 p.m. There will be food vendors, a trackless train, rides, a corn maze, face painting, organization tables and the County Show Mobile soundstage with a DJ and music. A concert will begin at 7:15 p.m. with the C.C. Colletti Band. The annual parade will start at 10 a.m. in front of West End School, ending in front of Borough Hall, 263 Somerset St. Rain date for Community Day is Sunday, July 2. There is no rain date for the parade. Info: 908-769-2900.
Watchung's annual Fourth of July parade will take place on the walking path of Mobus Field from 10 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4. Info: 908-756-0080 or watchungnj.gov.
Union County
A longstanding tradition, New Providence will offer a fireworks show beginning at 9:30 p.m. Monday, July 3. The fireworks will be launched near South Street and should be visible from most locations within the borough. Info: newprov.org/2023/06/july-3rd-fireworks/.
On Tuesday, July 4, Plainfield will mark the day with the annual July 4 parade set to begin at 10 a.m. on East Front Street and wind its way through city streets ending at Park Avenue. The Grand Marshalls and “Icons of Plainfield” are Charles and Anna Booker. Starting at 3 p.m., there will be a musical celebration marking the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with numerous artists and DJs. Fireworks will light the city sky at 10 p.m. Info: 908-753-3000 or plainfieldnj.gov/.
Rahway will get into the spirit on Monday, July 3 with a Fourth of July event beginning at 6 p.m. at Rahway River Park on St. George's Avenue. Fireworks are scheduled for 9:15 p.m. Info: cityofrahway.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=1205.
Email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Fourth of July Fireworks in Central NJ
