Writer: Gabriela Enamorado
2 min read June 2023 — From barbecues to festivals, Atlanta has a long history as a prime destination to celebrate America’s Independence Day. This year, the variety of festivities range between firework spectacles, concerts, parades and more. Focus: explores some of the best ways to celebrate the Fourth of July this year in ‘The Big Peach’.
Independence Day always draws a crowd to Georgia, especially for Metro Atlanta’s patriotic events. This year is expected to have record breaking people traveling across the country for the Fourth of July weekend. AAA has stated in a press release that a projected 50.7 million Americans will be traveling 50 or more miles for the holiday weekend, setting a record high.
Georgians will be seen traveling too, with 1.6 million Georgians expected to travel more than 50 miles. That’s 68,000 more miles than last year’s previous record. For those heading to the Atlanta metro area , there are plenty of attractions and events to keep those travelers interested.
Look Up Atlanta
This is the Southeast’s largest firework show taking place at the Centennial Olympic Park on July 1. Last year, thousands of families and visitors packed the park to enjoy events, food trucks and a litany of Georgia-based entertainers.This year promises to build upon last year’s offerings as ‘Look Up Atlanta’ will feature entertainment in the form of the 27-time Grammy-award winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) as well as some other local talent. The ASO will be joined by a 200+ voice, all-volunteer ASO Chorus.
For more information on Look Up Atlanta, click here
THe AJC Peachtree Road Race
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution Peachtree Road Race on July 4 at Lenox Square is another way to celebrate Independence Day. In line with their mission to ‘promote and extend the benefits of running and walking to the greater community’, Atlantans will lace up their sneakers and run a 10K race. As one of the country’s largest road races, there are up to 60,000 participants with a crowd of 150,000, both in-person and virtually, to cheer them on.
For more information on the race, click here
Fantastic Fourth Celebration
This five-day event at Stone Mountain Park offers family attractions from 10:30AM to 9PM. And after a full day of events, the sky will light up with the all-new Music Across America Drone and Light Show followed by fireworks. Stone Mountain Park has invested in the latest light show technology to be able to have 10 times more laser beams than the original lasershow. On the attraction end, there are a variety of options ranging from the Summit Skyride, a cable car that takes passengers 825 feet above ground to the top of Stone Mountain, to Dinosaur Explore, a family attraction that features 20 life-sized prehistoric dinosaurs.
For more information on this event, click here
Pied Piper Parade, Concert and Fireworks
Over in Downtown Decatur, there will be a parade that begins at 6PM at the First Baptist Church of Decatur. Visitors are invited to watch or join in on the parade by painting a wagon, riding their bike, or simply walking alongside. At 7PM, guests will head to the community bandstand to watch the Summer Covers Concert on the Square, followed by relaxing on the lawn and watching the firework show.
Click here for more information
Marietta’s 4th of July Celebration
Marietta’s 4th of July celebration begins at 10AM with the Let Freedom Ring Parade. The parade will feature 110 entries, 2,000 participants and an estimated 30,000 spectators. The celebration continues all day with free concerts, festival food and activities filling. At 8PM, there will be a concert headlined by Boogilicious, an Atlanta-based band.
For more information click here
