Fourth of July brings fireworks, parades and festivals to local cities

Fireworks, festivals and parades are among the ways local venues will ring in the Fourth of July on Wednesday.

Here’s a rundown of many of the public events scheduled to mark Independence Day:

Huntington Beach

Surf City USA kicks off its patriotic pageantry early with the Pier Plaza Festival, which runs Sunday through Wednesday by the Huntington Beach Pier at Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway. The festival will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and include live entertainment.

Festivities on the Fourth itself will start with a $5 pancake breakfast sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Huntington Beach. Flapjacks will hit the griddle from 6 to 10 a.m. in Lake Park, on Main Street between 11th and 12th streets.

Athletic merrymakers can take on the Surf City Run 5K at Worthy Park, on the corner of Main and 17th streets. Several run/walk events are scheduled, including one for Huntington Beach residents starting at 7 a.m., an open race beginning at 8 a.m. and a 5K stroller run and kids’ 1-mile and half-mile runs. Registration for the kids’ runs is $20; the other events are $40. For more information, visit surfcityrun.com.

Huntington Beach’s annual parade will start at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Pacific Coast Highway and Eighth Street. It will march south to Main Street and then up Main to finish just past Yorktown Avenue. The parade is free to attend, though bleacher seating is available for purchase at Lake Park. For more information, call (714) 536-5486.

A fireworks show will wrap up the day at 9 p.m. at the Huntington Beach Pier. There’s no cost to view the show, but VIP seating is available for $10. To buy tickets or get more information on events throughout the day, visit hb4thofjuly.org.

Newport Beach

Newport will host a cavalcade of parades on Independence Day, both by land and sea.

The annual 4th of July is for Families will begin with a bike parade at 36th Street and Balboa Boulevard. Kickstands will go up at 9 a.m. and participants will wheel their way down Balboa Boulevard to Channel Place Park at Channel Place and 44th Street, where a free community festival featuring food, arts and crafts, carnival games and bounce houses will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. For more information, contact the city’s Recreation and Senior Services Department at (949) 644-3151.

The Mariners Elementary School Foundation will present its 46th annual Independence Day celebration, including a bike parade down Mariners Drive starting at 10:30 a.m. and games and other activities from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Mariners Park, 1300 Irvine Ave. For more information, visit marinersfoundation.com/events.

Fourth of July revelers also can cast their gazes seaward for the annual Old Glory Boat Parade, sponsored by the American Legion Yacht Club. The parade launches near Collins Island and will sail through Newport Harbor from 1 to 3:30 p.m. This year’s theme is “Valor — Through the Generations.”

Visitors to the Back Bay also can get in on the fun with music, food trucks, drinks and family-friendly activities from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, 1131 Back Bay Drive. Among the offerings will be an inflatable water park, plus kayaks, bikes, boats and stand-up paddleboards for rent. Live music featuring Wild Child, Redneck Rodeo and Skynyrd Reloaded begins at 2 p.m. To put a bow on the day-long celebration, a city-sponsored fireworks display will begin at 9 p.m. For more information on pricing and the various activities, visit newportdunes.com/event/independence-day-back-bay. Onsite parking is $50.

Costa Mesa

The Pacific Symphony will celebrate the Fourth with a joint concert with Brass Transit, a Chicago tribute band, at the Pacific Amphitheatre at the OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive.

Wednesday’s concert starts at 8 p.m. and will include performances of Chicago hits such as “You’re the Inspiration,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” and “If You Leave Me Now.” Patriotic songs and a fireworks display also are part of the evening.

Tickets start at $25. For more details, visit pacificsymphony.org/tickets/concert/music_of_chicago.

Laguna Beach

The city’s annual fireworks show will begin at 9 p.m. Wednesday from Monument Point at Heisler Park, 375 Cliff Drive. Monument Point will be closed all day on the Fourth, while the portion of Heisler Park between the Rock Bench at Myrtle Street and the Rockpile Beach stairs at Jasmine Street will be closed beginning around noon to prepare for the show.

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