See Fireworks During Fourth of July and All Summer in North Carolina

1 Valdese Independence Day Celebration

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It’s a special edition of the Family Friday Nights concert series featuring one of the most popular annual fireworks displays in the area. The light display bursts at a lower altitude, allowing for a variety of swirls and explosions of color.

Admission: free

3 Freedom Fest and Fireworks

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The old-fashioned street festival features great music throughout the day, arts and crafts, a children's activities area, watermelon-eating contest and more. The fireworks show begins at 10 p.m.

Admission: free

5 Ingles Independence Day Celebration

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Venture to downtown Asheville for a day and night filled with activities for the family. Highlights include children’s activities, Ultimate Air Dogs, a fireworks extravaganza and more.

Admission: free

6 Symphony By the Lake at Chetola

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It’s the signature summertime event of the Symphony of the Mountains, and a fireworks show wraps up the night.

Admission: $65 to $150

7 Symphony in the Park & Fireworks

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Bring your picnic baskets, blankets and chairs, and enjoy performances by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Concessions are available, including wine and local craft beer, plus you can bring your own coolers, food and drinks. Fireworks begin immediately following the symphony’s performance.

Admission: free

8 Annual Lumbee Homecoming

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Events span a week, recognizing the heritage of the Lumbee people in Robeson County. Activities include a golf tournament, 5K run, bike race, parade, car show, outdoor concerts and local markets selling Lumbee wares. The fireworks show takes place July 8.

Admission: cost varies; some events are free

9 Independence Day Weekend Celebration on the Lake

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Watch fireworks soar over the lake after an evening of live music, food, vendors and more. You're encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

Admission: free; parking, $7

11 Skyshow Charlotte

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The festivities begin when the Charlotte Knights host the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at Truist Field in Uptown Charlotte. The night concludes with one of the largest fireworks shows in the Southeast lighting up the skyline after the game.

Admission: $25 and up for baseball tickets

12 July 4th Fireworks

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Ranked by Travel + Leisure as one of “America’s Top Ten Best Towns for a July Fourth Celebration,” Chapel Hill carries on the tradition year after year with this fireworks display.

Admission: free if parking at the Jackson Deck at UNC Hospitals and taking the shuttle

13 Fort Liberty's 4th of July Celebration

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Celebrate with the men and women of the Armed Forces, featuring live concerts (Sheryl Crow and Gavin DeGraw are 2023's headliners), parachute free-fall demonstrations, a patriotic flag ceremony, kids’ activities, craft beer garden and fireworks.

Admission: free

14 Fourth of July Parade, Pie-Eating Contest and Fireworks

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The day begins with a reading of the Declaration of Independence, followed by a parade and plenty of fun activities such as a dunking booth and pie-eating contest. Live music and fireworks take place at Veterans Memorial Park.

Admission: free

15 Raleigh's July 4th Fireworks Celebration

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Hop on a shuttle to Dorothea Dix Park from one of the parking decks downtown for this family-friendly event. The fun begins at 5 p.m. with games, live music and food trucks, and the fireworks go off at 9:30 p.m.

Admission: free

16 Liberty's July Celebration

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This annual street festival features arts and crafts vendors, food, live music, amusement rides for kids and a fireworks display.

Admission: free

18 North Carolina 4th of July Festival

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For more than 220 years, Southport has celebrated the nation's Independence Day in a big way, and its festival is North Carolina’s official celebration. Events span several days, featuring picnics, arts and crafts in the park, a car show, parade, fireworks, firemen’s competition, children’s games, live entertainment, food and more. The finale, the largest of the planned events, takes place July 4 at the Southport Waterfront.

Admission: free

19 Independence Day Fireworks by the Sea

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Celebrate Independence Day with a special edition of Fireworks by the Sea and Boardwalk Blast with live music, followed by fireworks after sunset. Arrive early to grab a spot at the gazebo or on the beach.

Admission: free

21 Annual Independence Day Celebration

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Celebrate America's independence with live music and a fireworks show on the northern Outer Banks. The event also features food vendors, a cornhole tournament, watermelon-eating contest and children’s games.

Admission: free

22 Wilmington Pops 4th of July Celebration

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Experience historic downtown Wilmington while being entertained by live music and enjoying local food vendors. Fireworks begin at 9:05 p.m., being launched from a barge in the Cape Fear River.

Admission: free

23 4th of July Fireworks Celebration and Live Music

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Live music starts at 7 p.m. and leads into fireworks illuminating the sky above Sugarloaf Island.

Admission: free

24 Fireworks Over the Outer Banks

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Choose from one of these picturesque locations to watch Fourth of July fireworks shows on the Outer Banks, the site of the English’s first attempted colonization in the New World pre-dating Jamestown by 20 years.

• Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills
• Nags Head Fishing Pier in Nags Head
• Fireworks over the sound in Manteo
• Avon Pier on Hatteras Island in Avon

Admission: free

25 Fourth of July Celebration

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The Greenville Town Common hosts the largest Independence Day celebration in the area. Spread a blanket and picnic all afternoon while dancing to live music at the amphitheater, dig in at food trucks, grab a cold drink at the beer garden and take in the fireworks over the banks of the Tar River.

Admission: free