Ways to Celebrate 4th of July Fireworks at Home and in Atlanta 2020

Cookouts, Parades, Fireworks. These are all staples of a fun Fourth of July spent with friends and family in Atlanta. Just because the rules are different this year, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a great time celebrating America’s independence!

Check out more craft, game and food ideas here.

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Events

Woodstock

Celebrate America’s independence with these fun metro Atlanta 4th of July patriotic fireworks shows, parades and events.

Margaritaville’s 4th of July Fireworks Celebration. Celebrate Fourth of July weekend at the beach, with rides, slides, attractions, restaurants, a DJ, dancers, fireworks and more. July 3-5.

Cumming Fourth of July Parade. Celebrate the Fourth with floats, music and more at this parade. July 4.

Cumming Fourth of July Celebration. Taste food from vendors, watch fireworks and more. July 4.

Fourth on the Farm. Celebrate Independence Day with live music, a petting zoo, vendors, cow train rides, a giant jump pad and more with a fireworks show when it gets dark. July 4.

Woodstock July 4th Firework. With social distancing in the parking lots, enjoy North Georgia’s largest fireworks show. July 4.

Sparks in the Park in Gwinnett. Fireworks, inflatables, food and drinks and live entertainment. Aug. 1.

Beyond Atlanta 4th of July Events

July Fourth Star Spangled Beach Party. Callaway Gardens. Beach activities, live music, food trucks, contests and the annual Fireworks Extravaganza. July 3-5.

Fourth of July Independence Day Celebration. Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds. Fireworks extravaganza. July 4.

Virtual Celebrations

Fourth of July Your Space Virtual Race. Walk, run or ride a distance of 1-mile, 5K or 10K to benefit Bert’s Big Adventure, a nonprofit that provides children with chronic and terminal illnesses an all-expenses paid trip to Disney World. July 4.

July 4 with the National Archives. Join the National Archives for its first-ever virtual July 4th celebration with family programming and educational activities. July 4.

Flag Fun

Have a 4th of July fashion show. Who in the family can style red, white and blue the best? Or get white T-shirts and have each family member decorate them using red and blue fabric paint.

Lolly Jane

Make a patriotic flower pot from Lolly Jane with a flower pot, painter’s tape, foam brushes, sealer and ¼” vinyl lettering stars. First, paint the whole pot white. Once dry, add painter’s tape, starting at the top, to create stripes. Paint the stripes red. Add the stars around the rim of the top then paint it blue. When dry, pick off the stars. Seal it with a fast drying sealer.

Fantastic Fireworks

GoGo squeeZ

For a fun craft with the kids make Fireworks from GoGo squeeZ. You’ll need push-up cake pop molds or empty ice cream push-pop containers (which you can reuse after eating or find online), construction paper, markers, glitter, pipe cleaners, confetti, other decorative items and tape. Line the bottom of the container with a round piece of construction paper, leaving it a little larger than the bottom circle, so none of the glitter will fall out. Cover the outside of the container with construction paper, and let your kids color and decorate the paper with markers. Fill the inside with glitter, pipe cleaners and other decorative items. Finally, tape another circular piece of construction paper over the top. To activate, remove construction paper, and push the glitter or confetti out quickly. It’s recommended that you release them somewhere where the glitter won’t be a hassle to clean up afterward.

Make the Fireworks Sugar Cookie Cake from Crazy for Crust.

Ingredients:

¾ c. unsalted butter, softened
¾ c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cream of tartar
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. red, white and blue M&Ms
½ c. red, white and blue
“jimmie” sprinkles
Frosting: 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened; 1½ c. powdered sugar; 1 tsp. vanilla extract; ½ tsp. salt; 2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream or milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9” round cake pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the cookie cake: Beat butter and sugar with a hand or a stand mixer until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, then mix in baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Slowly mix in flour. Stir in M&Ms and sprinkles. Press batter into prepared pan, pressing more M&Ms onto the top as desired. Bake for 19-22 minutes or until the edges are just turning a light golden brown. It’s better to under bake this dough than over bake. The cake will continue cooking a bit as it cools, so err on the side of underdone. Let it cool completely.

Make the frosting: Beat butter until smooth, then slowly beat in powdered sugar until crumbly. Add salt and vanilla, then add 1 tsp. of heavy whipping cream. Beat until smooth, adding another tsp. of heavy whipping cream to get a spreadable texture. Use a 1M tip and a Ziploc or piping bag to decorate the cookie cake. Top with more sprinkles and M&Ms.

Crafting Country

JaMonkey

Make a patriotic lava lamp with these Sparkle Bottles from JaMonkey. You’ll need plastic water bottles with the labels removed, red, blue and silver star confetti, glycerin, water, glitter and ribbon. Fill ¾ of the water bottle with water. Add as much glitter and confetti as you want. Fill the rest of the bottle with glycerin. Replace lid and shake to mix together. Red confetti may cause the water to turn slightly pink. You can also tie a patriotic themed ribbon to the bottle for a fun finishing touch.

Light up the night with an Easy Jar Candle Craft from Fantastic Fun and Learning. Use glass jars, glue, a paint brush and festive decorations. Cover the jars with glue that’s been thinned with a little bit of water. The kids can decorate the jars with sequins, glitter, buttons and more. Let them dry before placing a tea light inside.

Patriotic Parade

Host a neighborhood parade with your friends. Decorate your cars or bikes with patriotic items to travel around the neighborhood. Set a time to drive or ride around together, and play America-themed music.

Get festive in your yard by decorating and hanging up posters, streamers, stars and other patriotic items from your fence, porch or windows. Hang Toilet Paper Roll Fireworks from All Kids Network on the porch. You’ll use toilet paper rolls, white paint, red and blue glitter glue, paint brush, red and blue streamers, yarn or string, scissors and tape. Paint the toilet paper roll white. Once dry, use glitter glue to decorate, and set aside to dry. Cut streamers into 10-1″ lengths, and then cut vertically down the center. Tape the streamers to the inside of the roll. Punch a hole to the top of the roll to string yarn through to hang it up.

The Country Chic by Angie Holden

Make a patriotic wreath for the door with The Country Chic Cottage by Angie Holden. Use a pool noodle, garland strands, popsicle sticks and paint. Make a wreath from the pool noodle by making it a circle and taping it together with duct tape. Wrap the garland around the wreath. Glue the sticks together with hot glue, and paint an American flag with red, white and blue on the sticks. Using old boxes, you can cut out a four for the center of the wreath.

More Ways to Celebrate

All American Edition of Bean Bag Bucketz: Take the fun outdoors with this family-friendly game where teams try to get their bean bags in the bucketz, and it comes with a carry bag, making it easily portable.

FWsim: Watch virtual fireworks or create your own display with music with FWsim’s software. You can get a free one hour trial.

Oliver Doodle Dandy: This cute book by Todd M. Zimmerman and illustrated by Kyle Hernandez focuses on U.S. history and explains national holidays, such as Flag Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. A companion activity book is also available.

Watch a Movie: Enjoy a patriotic movie night with one of these movies celebrating the American spirit.

“Hamilton” will be released on Disney+ on July 3.
In “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” watch political drama and democracy in action.
“National Treasure” imagines a world where America has hidden treasure with a map on the Declaration of Independence.
“The Sandlot” explores the national phenomenon of baseball, featuring a Fourth of July baseball game.
Watch the American hero and super soldier in “Captain America: The First Avenger.”
If your kids are older, watch the eponymous “Independence Day” for an action battle between Americans and alien forces.
For a look at history with older kids, watch “Lincoln” for an inside, although fictional, look at the Civil War.