There is never a bad time to visit San Diego, but the summer holidays always promise to provide the best of times, offering fantastic weather and exciting adventures that will make you think of each event fondly, especially when you get to return home to our Vacation Rentals by Kimberly holiday hideaways after each celebration. Our homes will provide more things to celebrate, just as San Diego will provide many different activities for the holiday, starting with Independence Day in San Diego, CA. Today, we have created this guide to an unforgettable 4th of July in our coastal city, painting a colorful picture of good food, good times, and some excellent fireworks displays, giving you a peek into your holiday future!
We Love a Parade, The Annual 4th of July Scripps Ranch Parade, 10 AM
Scripps Ranch is a bedroom community of San Diego, offering a family friendly neighborhood that everyone wants to live in and for over 50 years, their annual 4th of July Parade has offered the most idyllic way to start the celebration! Offering a small town charm in the big city there will be kids on bikes, animals in costumes, and everyone is dressed in their finest red, white, and blue attire, including the bystanders watching from the sidewalks.
Catch the Closing Days of the San Diego County Fair, 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard
Your all-American celebration of our country’s birthday really should include a visit to the San Diego County Fair that starts in June and generally closes a couple of days after the holiday. Also closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, we can’t wait to experience the rides, the food, and all the exhibits, animals, arts, and music that no self-respecting fair could do without, and we have a sneaking suspicion that once experienced, you will want to come back again and again and again! Also offering fireworks at the fair is something all visitors should attend during their California adventures on the 4th of July.
Old Town 4th of July, Old Town San Diego Historic State Park, 11AM to 3PM
This exciting celebration takes visitors on a trip back in time, celebrating the holiday the way it was done in the 19th century! Costing nothing to attend, there will be charges for some activities and food, guests can expect games, crafts, and live music. Activities include a patriotic flag raising, crafts that include making corn husk dolls and bracelets, tug of war, sack races, and wheelbarrow races, and demonstrations that include quilt making and blacksmithing.
Where the Big Booms Are
Fireworks have traditionally been the starring event at 4th of July celebrations all over the world and in San Diego, visitors will have multiple opportunities to see the big booms. We’ve listed some of our favorite shows below and celebrate our nation’s birthday in style!
Annual Big Bay Boom, July 4th, Various Locations Along Mission Bay
The Annual Big Bay Boom is often considered our town’s premiere celebration with fireworks being discharged from a variety of barges anchored in Mission Bay. This is one of the largest shows in the area and lasts about 18 minutes.
SeaWorld, 500 SeaWorld Drive and LEGOLAND, One LEGOLAND DRIVE
Summer is when the new stuff hits at SeaWorld and in addition to shows, whales, food, and souvenirs, you can also expect to end the day with a spectacular fireworks display that begins at 9:30. LEGOLAND’s display, called Red, White, and Boom, will begin at 8:30 and are included in your park’s entrance fee.
4th of July Celebration in Coronado
We probably should have dedicated an entire paragraph to this fantastic 4th of July celebration, lasting all day and ending with a fireworks show, one that is simulcast to music and aired on one of our local radio stations. Offering a parade, an Adrian Empire Demonstration and Star Wars Society photo op, and four different free concerts held at various venues, the Naval Leap Frogs Aerial Demonstration may be as exciting as the fireworks show that begins at 9PM at the Coranado Golf Course, exploding over Glorietta Bay.
Celebrate at Home with Vacation Rentals by Kimberly
Some of your best moments may be the ones you spend at home in our holiday hideaways. The weather is always perfect for a 4th of July barbecue, enjoyed best when celebrated poolside. For those who are staying in one of our oceanfront rentals, we can’t promise that you will be able to see the Annual Big Bay Boom from the patio of your retreat, but we are pretty sure there will be some fireworks that you will be able to witness, quietly, safely, and with a frosty margarita in hand! If you can’t see them outside and you don’t want to fight the crowds, the Washington DC fireworks show is usually shown on television, and our TVs will make you feel as if you are there. Reserve your favorite holiday hideaway today!