Nearly everyone loves a good colorful fireworks display. Popity-pop-popity-pow! Boom! Take that sky – Have some color tonight! Our hearts fill with those loud booms and our eyes take in the bright splashes of color willowing across the darkness. Alaskans love to start this holiday early and enjoy the late summer sunshine as much as possible.
Celebrating and relaxing with family and friends is an important part of our society. As technology and modern options change, holding onto the traditions of our nation becomes more and more important. The Last Frontier definitely has developed some of its own wonderful traditions in association with the Fourth of July and the Independence of our nation.
So, where can you go to sit and take all this in safely this year? Well, it is not hard to find plenty to do in the hours leading up to Anchorage fireworks displays. You might want to consider wearing comfortable shoes, though. You may find yourself attracted to the various activities and opportunities leading up to the fireworks displays.
Here are what we at Better Health Anchorage recommends:
A Nation of Tradition and Rich History
The first public readings of the Declaration of Independence were conducted on July 8, 1776. The following year, fireworks were added to the celebratory activities along with bonfires and the sound of bells. More than two hundred and forty years later we are still gathering in our nearby communities and shooting color into the sky!
As the 49th state, Alaska joined the Union much later than most other states. However, its exploration and discovery certainly did not start the day before joining on January 3, 1959. Rather, exploratory activities are noted even as far back as when many of the early states signed in the late 1700s.
Since before the nation’s age of discovery and exploration, indigenous peoples have called Alaska home for many thousands of years. It is their rich knowledge of the land, animals, and environment that helped some early explorers to survive. Their histories fill the mountains and trail ways with thousands of years of stories, families, and survival.
As the land has changed hands officially several times over the last few hundred years, it has become home to hundreds of generations of individuals from all over the globe. Families of many different genealogies and DNA make-ups love to call this mountainous region home. The mountain crisp air blending with the ocean’s waters becomes something to love – and celebrate!
Eagle River Lions Club
Lions Community Park is a great place to be at 6:00 pm on July 3. Get some Anchorage fireworks in early with and still have plenty of celebrating left the next day! The Eagle River Lions Club offers free community activities in celebration of Independence Day.
Keep your eyes open early hear because skydivers may appear as that summer sun sets on the horizon before you! Family games and snacks may also be found for those who choose to stay on the ground. Alaska’s unique summer sunshine hours offer the community a particularly interesting manner in which to welcome in the Day of America’s Independence!
Evening activities run through midnight. Then the Lions Club festivities welcome in the new day of July the 4th with midnight fireworks. Bring your red, white, and blues and favorite picnic foods and enjoy the show! The 4th of July in Alaska offers such a unique way to celebrate the birth of a nation – the birth of a new day in the Last Frontier!
Delaney Park Strip
The Delany Park Strip area offers plenty of celebratory red, white, and blue activities. Anchorage July 4th Celebration activities begin early in the day with a pancake breakfast. The Anchorage 4th of July Parade will commence at 11:00 am.
Festival events include music, food, and games from noon until 6:00 pm. The Declaration of Independence will be read by the Harvard Club at 1:00 pm. Costume attire from the Revolutionary Period is often seen during this event.
You can also check out these Anchorage restaurants for some local cuisine. Alaskans love to share their love of fresh fish, chocolate bread, and summer jams! This is a great time to find a new favorite food in Anchorage.
The annual fireworks show will begin sometime after 11:00 pm. The late sunset really offers a full day of family-friendly time in Anchorage. Bring your blankets, chairs, celebration colors, and some evening snacks and come to enjoy the lights in the sky in Anchorage!
Look for these in the Delaney Park Strip on July 4th:
- Pancake Breakfast (8:00 am)
- Anchorage 4th of July Parade (11:00 am)
- Festival (noon to 6:00 pm)
- Reading of the Declaration of Independence (1:00 pm)
- Fireworks Show (sometime after 11 pm)
You can also look for Girdwood Forest Fair activities in Southern Anchorage here.
Baseball games underway during the holiday festivities top the iconic nature of American tradition. They also provide a great place to sit while watching the skies light up with color on the 4th. Families often appreciate sitting on Kosinski Fields (by Mulcahy Stadium, home to the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and the Anchorage Bucs.)
Create Your Own Fireworks Tradition
Kids love creating their own memories. Find something that makes your time unique and special each year. Here are a few ideas to try with your friends and family.
- Create a special Fourth of July dessert. (Maybe something with crushed pretzels, red Jell-O or strawberries, blueberries, and whipped topping. Yum!)
- Make t-shirts, hats, bandanas, or similar to wear together.
- Have different people wear solid red, white, or blue shirts (maybe with white stars on the blue shirt). Strategically rest on some grass to create a flag design. Have someone take a picture.
- Find items in which you can try to catch the reflection of the fireworks (funny glasses with plastic lenses, plastic travel mirror, phone screen, some food packaging).
- Enjoy baseball-themed activities. If your group does not quite have enough players for a game, play catch, practice batting (lightweight plastic balls are best when near a crowd), or just see who can spin around the bat the most times before falling. Let the kids make up a special holiday game with the same equipment.
- Have special cups or drinking containers. Staying hydrated in July is important now as it was for the soldiers who fought for the newly developing country!
- Choose something new to learn about related to the country’s birth and history. This is a fun idea for families and individuals. Friends can challenge one another with new information. Families can try to see who remembers what each year. Make each person responsible or create teams for sharing what is learned.
- Create homemade Revolutionary Era costumes. Be creative and have family members wear different types of costumes reflecting different points of history. For example, one person could wear a beard and kite and pretend to be Benjamin Franklin. Another family member might don the clothing of a traditional Alaskan hunter or fisherman.
Mention early that you are thinking about creating a new tradition to go with the nation’s long-standing traditions. Make it a contest to see who comes up with the most interesting new tradition. Try out a couple of new ones this year and see which ones everyone likes best! What will be your new favorite thing to do on the Fourth of July?
Pets and Small Children
Be mindful of pets and small children during the actual fireworks display. Pets can be sensitive to the many sounding booms. They may require special attention due to the sound decibels of the fireworks. Consider in advance what your pet may need if you plan to take them to view the blasts in the sky.
The late hours may bring you to decide to leave the littlest ones at home. The 4th of July is a big time for families, though, and having our kids with us makes this time special. Small children will often best enjoy the show if they have some kind of sound dampening on their ears.
If noise-canceling headphones are not available, regular over the ear headphones (even without a sound connection) are often found beneficial. Just watch to ensure that no one becomes entangled by a cord if present. If you choose not to connect it to a sound device, winding the cord and tying a bread tie around it works nicely.
Anchorage Loves Fireworks
Join the community in celebrating the birth of our nation this July! Anchorage fireworks events bring a fresh and welcome style to the nation’s birthday celebratory days. We look forward to seeing you around town for the 4th of July in Alaska! So, forge forward with the best fireworks Anchorage can bring you and your family!
The kids will love the lights and you will love the family-friendly atmosphere. What is your new 4th of July fireworks show tradition? The colorful explosions are a long-standing tradition in our nation’s history, but the best traditions include spending time with each other celebrating together.
