Best Fourth of July Fireworks Shows in Dallas

Shake out your picnic blankets and dust off your lawn chairs, y’all: it’s the Fourth of July. By day, you’ll avail yourself of parades, pool parties, backyard barbeques, and a never-ending supply of watermelon. But at dusk, it’s time to join friends, neighbors, and countrymen for legally-sanctioned pyrotechnics and the oohs and aahs they elicit. Here’s your guide to the biggies, which include all the patriotic, skyward celebrations you can shake a sparkler at this Independence Day:

Kaboom Town!
A quick jaunt up the Tollway yields a massive party in Addison Circle Park, 4950 Addison Circle Drive on Friday, July 3 from 5 p.m. until midnight. This fireworks show is the bomb—30 minutes of ground-launched sparkly, glittery and loud explosives fill the sky just north of Dallas. The show is legendary, and the work-up to it isn’t half bad, either: fly-bys from the Cavanaugh Flight Museum’s Warbirds prime eyes for all the entertainment aloft, while live music, games, and food aplenty keep you grounded. Admission is free; see addisontexas.net for further info.

Lone Stars and Stripes Celebration
This annual equine event is packed with a full day of hoof-pounding excitement. Gates open at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 4 for a bash at Lone Star Park, 1000 Lone Star Parkway in Grand Prairie, to include live music from Vegas Stars, an extended family fun park (with face painting, bounce houses, pony rides and diversions aplenty for the kids), horse races, and—importantly—fireworks. Just imagine fanning yourself with all those race winnings under the beautiful glow of phosphorous and antimony—perfect. General admission is $5 for everyone over the age of three; military discounts available. Special event parking is $10 to $20, head to lonestarpark.com/LoneStarsandStripes/ for the lowdown.

Fort Worth Fourth
It’s like a pyrotechnic Manifest Destiny at this westward Independence Day fete starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. Blaze a trail toward Panther Island Pavilion, 395 Purcey Street, for a jam-packed party that lays claim to the designation of largest fireworks show in North Texas. Activities include tubing down the Trinity (with free life jackets and tubes on a first-come, first-served basis), live music from Jimmy Buffet cover band The Land Sharks, a kids’ zone open from 2 until 8 p.m. and an awe-inspiring fireworks display at dark. General admission is free, parking is $5 to $10, and VIP passes are $10 to $40. Peruse the FAQs and other pertinent info at fortworthsfourth.com.

Farmer’s Branch Independence Day Celebration
Maybe you’re looking to save your cerebral vertebrae a little wear and tear this holiday weekend? Farmer’s Branch has you covered…your neck can avoid the strain of sustained skyward viewing with one of the few low-level fireworks shows in North Texas. The horizon will fill with bursts of light at the Farmer’s Branch Historical Park, 2540 Farmer’s Branch Lane, Friday, July 3. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and you can fill your evening with concessions, historical tours, live tunes from Inside Out Band, and plenty of old fashioned American fun times in the Kidzone area. Admission is free; learn more at farmersbranchtx.gov.

Fair Park Fourth
The gold standard of Dallas Fourth of July events will light up Big D via a deafening volley of fireworks during the Fair Park Fourth Celebration on Saturday, July 4. This all-day tribute to the American way is loaded with games and carnival rides on the State Fair Midway (which will open at noon), not to mention paddle boat excursions on the historic Leonhardt Lagoon and musical fountain fun on the Esplanade. Live tunes from Beatle’s tribute Hard Night’s Day, the Razzmajazz Dixieland Band, and the Dallas Wind Symphony strike the perfect festive tone, and a musical tribute to the red, white and blue will commence inside the Cotton Bowl at 9 p.m., culminating with that iconic fireworks display at around 9:45 p.m. Admission to the event is free, though Midway admission is $5 and ride and concession costs will vary. Parking on Fair Park grounds is $5, and the DART green line will run to the event as well. For a detailed schedule of events and all the other tidbits you need to know, visit fairpark.org.