Everything You Need to Know for July 4th in Columbia!
You’re invited to celebrate Independence Day with free festivities and fireworks on the Lakefront.
CA is once again co-hosting this year’s festivities with Howard County Rec & Parks, and Columbia Festival of the Arts is producing the incredible entertainment. We appreciate everyone who’s collaborating with CA for this cherished event!
We’d like to give a quick shout-out to CA’s Open Space team. Thanks to their hard work, we’re able to enjoy the Downtown Columbia Lakefront to the fullest all year round!
Now, let’s get to the fun stuff…
NEW RESOURCE GUIDE!
The CA team has put together a comprehensive resource guide with everything you need to know about this year’s July 4th Celebration and Fireworks. That includes food options, information on biking down to the Lakefront and all of the logistical details you need to have a great – and safe – time.
Let’s celebrate!
Who: You and your family and friends!
Where: Downtown Columbia Lakefront (10275 Wincopin Cir, Columbia, MD 21044)
When: Tuesday, July 4, 2023
- Blankets may be placed at 3pm
- Food trucks will be available 5-9pm
- Music goes from 6-9pm (Details on the performers below ⬇)
- Fireworks start around 9:20pm (dusk)
Important driving / parking info
- Little Patuxent Parkway will be closed between Symphony Woods Road and Governor Warfield Parkway from 6:30pm to 11pm.
- Little Patuxent Parkway will be closed between Broken Land Parkway and Symphony Woods Road from 8pm to 11pm.
- Public parking will be available at The Mall in Columbia, Symphony Woods Parking Garage (6275 Mango Tree Road), Merriweather District, the Cured/18th $ 21st garage (10970 Grantchester Way) and Sterrett Place NORTH.
- Public parking IS NOT AVAILABLE at the Lakefront. Parking on the Wincopin top deck or garage below is reserved for event staff and will require a permit for access. Please plan accordingly!
Music + food trucks
CA is excited to present two incredible acts produced by Columbia Festival of the Arts.
- 6-7:15pm – Holly Montgomery
- 7:30-9pm – Sugaray Rayford
And come hungry because we have all sorts of food trucks serving from 5-9pm. You can check out all of the food options available in the new resource guide.
Fireworks
After enjoying the live music, make sure to stick around for the grand finale: a spectacular fireworks show presented by Howard County Recreation & Parks and the Howard County Executive’s Office.
The 20-minute fireworks display will start around 9:20pm (dusk), but residents who wish to place blankets are welcome to do so after 3pm.
Free bike corral
As always, CA encourages everyone to ride down to the Lakefront! Bike HoCo is running a free bike corral (think a coat check-style parking set up for your bicycles) for July 4th events. A team of volunteers will watch the bikes while you and your family enjoy the food and music and watch the fireworks.
You can find maps of biking routes in the new resource guide.
Please keep in mind that pathways are fully lit from the villages of Oakland Mills Village Center and Wilde Lake Village Center to the Lakefront, but other pathways may not be fully lit.
Contact Warren Wortman at bikehococorral@gmail.com for questions and additional information.
More July 4th fun
Luminus will host a Race4TheWorld 5K starting at Merriweather Post Pavilion which honors the journey of immigrants and refugees from around the world. Luminus is a local non-profit that offers legal, social and language services to new Americans. Click here to sign up for the Race4TheWorld 5K.
Before festivities at the Lakefront, Inner Arbor Trust is hosting a free festival in Symphony Woods. We love seeing CA spaces activated for this community-wide celebration! Click here for more information.
