The Bay Area is a great spot to celebrate America’s birthday. Crowds gather all over the waterfront areas where the 4th of July San Francisco events and activities take place, highlighting the festivities with a spectacular Independence Day celebration. From patriotic parades to colorful firework displays and live music to specialty cruises, kids and the whole family will enjoy the outdoors great!
We hope you’re ready for the Independence Day celebration because festivities are just around the corner. But if you haven’t made any plans yet, fret not! We’ve covered a comprehensive list of events and activities happening around the San Francisco Bay Area to celebrate the 4th of July with your kids. Pick your favorite spot or tackle the whole list for an unforgettable day of summer fun!
Fisherman’s Wharf
2801 Leavenworth St., San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone Number: (415) 673-3530
July 4, 2023 |Tuesday | 9:30 AM – 11:00 PM
We invite you to come down to the Waterfront to enjoy the day! A fireworks display will be launched from two barges on the Bay beginning at 9:30 pm. Neighborhood restaurants, activities, and retail shops in Fisherman’s Wharf will be open. Fireworks are set off from barges at Aquatic Park and Pier 39. Try heading to Aquatic Park, Ghirardelli Square, Coit Tower, or any waterfront spot you can manage to snag for spectacular show views.
Dress appropriately for the weather, which can get cold and windy. A good jacket/blanket can help keep you warm. To make your day more enjoyable, we suggest that you leave your pets at home. We don’t want your furry friends to get spooked by the large crowds and noise of the fireworks display. There will also be K-9 units in the neighborhood.
Pier 3
Hornblower Landing, San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone Number: (800) 459-8105
July 4, 2023 |Tuesday | 6:30 PM – 11:00 PM
This 4th of July, a Premier Plus Dinner cruise in San Francisco is sure to create an unforgettable evening with an illuminated skyline for the Independence Day celebration. Experience a plated dinner cruise on the Bay with an impressive fireworks display. Dine the night away with friends and family and soak in San Francisco’s refreshing views.
July 4th is a busy day for City Cruises, Pier 3, and the city of San Francisco. Please arrive early and allow plenty of extra time for heavy vehicle & pedestrian traffic and options for parking. Public transportation is highly recommended.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
1001 Fairgrounds Dr. SW, Vallejo, CA 94589
June 30 – July 4, 2023 | Friday-Tuesday | 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Spend the summer and enjoy the Independence Day celebration in the San Francisco Bay Area with various events and activities at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. This celebration brings together Americans from every walk of life with fun games, delicious specialty foods, and a million ways to make new memories. Visit the festival area for some live music and grand fireworks display sure to wow guests of all ages!
Put your skills to the test with a variety of interactive contests hosted by Six Flags Fun Squad. Celebrate summer fun and show off your dance moves with live entertainment playing your favorite summer hits. Get ready to light the night up with fun rides and activities such as live music, food, and special limited-time offer merchandise!
Leo Ryan Park
650 Shell Blvd., Foster City, CA, 94404
Phone Number: (650) 286-3380
July 4, 2023 |Tuesday | 9:00 AM – 9:45 PM
Join the Foster City Parks & Recreation, Lions of Foster City, and the Foster City Rotary Club for this exciting all-day series of events at Leo Ryan Park. The Foster City 4th of July Celebration in the San Francisco Bay Area is back with a whole day of fun events, activities, and music for the whole family. There will be a Kid Zone, a pet parade, family games, and a giant fireworks display.
There will also be a pancake breakfast as well as food trucks for lunch and dinner. You don’t want to miss all the games, food, entertainment, family, and dog parade, and a grand fireworks display. All family members are welcomed and encouraged to participate in some of our favorite games, like Potato Sack Races and a Watermelon Eating Contest. Fireworks will take place over the lagoon.
Fremont Main Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont, CA 94538
July 4, 2023 | Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Fremont’s annual celebration of the 4th brings together the beauty of our unique community, whose mission is to plan, coordinate and facilitate a 4th of July parade and celebration for and by the citizens of Fremont and surrounding cities. The parade includes marching bands, dance troupes, balloons, cars, and decorative floats.
The route will begin at the Fremont Main Library. Make sure to look to the sky to watch the California Beech Boys in action as they perform their formation flying just before the start of the parade around 9:45 am. They have always been a favorite of all.
USS Hornet Museum
707 W Hornet Ave., Alameda, CA 94501
Phone Number: (510) 521-8448
July 4, 2023 |Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Spend your 4th of July in the Bay’s best location for the day with music, food & drinks, tours, and more! They will have two no-host bars, Food Truck Mafia with multiple food options, DJ Samoa Boy spinning tunes, the Swinging Blue Stars, and much more to entertain you. Special guest Benjamin Hemphill, a Korean War pilot, will be on hand at around 1 pm to sign pictures and discuss his experiences as a Skyraider pilot on the USS Antietam.
The ship’s superstructure will be open for free tours of the Captain’s Bridge. The rest of the Museum spaces on the ship are open, so you can see all our iconic aircraft (including our F-14 Tomcat, just like those in Top Gun), Apollo artifacts and Space Race History, and all the ship’s areas and exhibits below decks where sailors worked and lived from World War II to the ship’s decommissioning in 1970. They also will close early enough that you will have time to watch the fireworks at your favorite spot.
Cerrito Vista Park
950 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530
Phone Number: (510) 243-5796
July 4, 2023 |Tuesday | 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
The annual City of El Cerrito/WorldOne July 4th Festival provides the chance to celebrate amongst high-flying banners and share in the excitement with a family fun zone, main stage entertainment, art exhibition, and lots of great food, a classic car component to the event.
The event also includes live entertainment on the main stage, a children’s fun area with carnival games, jump houses, face painting and rides, arts and crafts vendors, El Cerrito Art Association Art Show & Sale, lots of delicious food options, and vendor booths by local business and service groups.
Half Moon Bay Downtown
Main St., Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Phone Number: (650) 726-5705
July 4, 2023 |Tuesday | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Let the good times roll! This year marking its 52nd rendition, Half Moon Bay’s beloved Ol’ Fashioned 4th of July Parade, along with a Pancake Breakfast, Block Party & Festival, takes over Main Street, transforming the charming downtown into a festive Red, White, and Blue celebration. The parade starts at 12 noon and lasts approximately 90 minutes.
A time-honored, home-spun tradition, the parade celebrates Independence Day in small-town America with an entertaining array of whimsical floats, marching bands, horses, community service groups, classically cool cars, decorated trikes and bikes, parading pooches, youth sports teams, dance and theatre troupes, photos and fun with the delightfully rotund, and more!
Sausalito Yacht Harbor Slip
465 Sausalito, CA 94965
Phone Number: (415) 331-0444
July 4, 2023 |Tuesday | 7:15 PM – 10:00 PM
Come aboard Schooner Freda B for the sunset and fireworks on the Independence Day celebration at the San Francisco Bay area on the 4th of July. Board in downtown Sausalito and cruise out onto the San Francisco Bay, where everyone can watch the sunset and find an ideal spot to observe the fireworks around Sausalito or San Francisco.
The exact location depends on the evening’s conditions, but either way, spectators will have an exclusive, unobstructed view from the water. Not to spoil too much, as this cruise will take you all around the Bay, and the stories expand even more as you get closer to Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and San Francisco.
Shoreline Amphitheatre
One Amphitheatre Pkwy., Mountain View, CA 94043
Phone Number: (650) 967-4040
July 4, 2023 |Tuesday | 8:00 PM
This July 4th, you can celebrate America’s favorite holiday at one of the most groundbreaking concerts in town. The state’s premier orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, is set to deliver a fantastic musical presentation performed by some of the most talented musicians in the world. The show, titled the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, will light up the Shoreline Amphitheatre.
Held at one of San Francisco’s state-of-the-art concert venues, the performance will feature incredible artists, including esteemed conductor Edwin Outwater and several distinguished vocalists. This momentous occasion ends with a fantastic fireworks display as its grand finale! If you want to celebrate the Fourth of July with a bang, then hurry and secure your tickets now!
The Bay Area makes a marvelous spot for a breathtaking fireworks display, with beautiful bursts of red, white, and blue booming over the water and city skyline while patriotic music plays. Whether you’re joining the crowds or staking out a spot at one of the best places to watch fireworks in San Francisco, your little ones will have so much fun celebrating the 4th of July with the best events and activities for kids. There’s no place the Independence Day celebration is quite like in San Francisco!
Looking for more family-friendly events and things to do with kids in San Francisco? San Francisco offers countless opportunities for fun! Check out our seasonal blog post, or browse through our places to go section. Find even more things to do in San Francisco with kids by checking out our Things To Do category.
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