Fireworks Aplenty

The official list of top 4th of July events and fireworks around Dallas-Fort Worth

There will be fireworks shooting into the air all over Dallas-Fort Worth on and around the Fourth of July.

Courtesy photo

Although there were still some fireworks displays on the Fourth of July in 2020, the pandemic muted the celebratory feel, with almost all events going virtual or very socially-distanced. But what a difference a year makes, as the Dallas-Fort Worth area has no shortage of events from which to choose this Fourth of July season.

Interestingly, the city of Dallas is not represented on this list, as neither Fair Park Fourth nor Red White & Boom on the Bridge will take place this year.

We've rounded up the biggest and best events for your oohing — we mean viewing — pleasure.

Friday, June 25

City of Colleyville presents Stars & Guitars
The next event on the list lays claim to the title of "First to the Fourth," but this one has them beat this year. Colleyville’s annual patriotic celebration will feature food trucks, attractions like face painting, balloon & caricature artists, pony rides, a petting zoo, and more on the south lawn at Colleyville City Park, a free concert by country star Jo Dee Messina, and a fireworks show.

Saturday, June 26

Market Street Allen USA Celebration
Centered around the theme of being "First to the Fourth" (oops), Market Street Allen USA serves as the city of Allen's annual Fourth of July celebration, held on the last Saturday of June every year. The event will include food trucks, music performances by Eli Mosley and Emerald City Band, and a fireworks finale.

Klyde Warren Park presents Independence Day Celebration
Visitors can celebrate Independence Day early at Klyde Warren Park with live music and fun family activities. The evening will wrap up with a spectacular pyrotechnic display on the Park’s East Lawn, beginning at 9:30 pm.

Friday, July 2

City of Granbury presents 4th of July: Freedom and Fireworks
Granbury's annual 4th of July celebration is a three-day affair, featuring shopping with vendors on Granbury Square on July 2, vendors and a parade on July 3, and vendors and fireworks over Lake Granbury on July 4.

Saturday, July 3

Liberty by the Lake
The Colony will celebrate the birth of America’s freedom at the 24th Annual Liberty By The Lake festival. They'll kick off the celebration with the Liberty 5K/10K/1M race on July 3 at The Old American Clubhouse, followed by a concert, food vendors, and fireworks at The Colony Five Star Complex on July 4.

City of Irving presents Independence Day Celebration
The City of Irving will present a weekend-long celebration for Independence Day. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department kicks off the festivities on July 3 with the traditional parade in downtown Irving followed by live music by Alex Aguilar and Downtown Fever, a variety of food trucks, beer garden, kids’ fun area, and a fireworks show on July 4 at Levy Event Plaza. Guests can also enjoy the live music and fireworks celebration via a live simulcast at the Texas Lottery Plaza at Toyota Music Factory, where a post-celebration featuring the Rockaholics band is also planned. For individuals who prefer to celebrate from the comfort of their home, the event will be livestreamed on the City of Irving's YouTube page.

City of Keller presents Keller Lights
The City of Keller will present Keller Lights, where visitors can enjoy more than 40 vendors and food trucks, live music, the Light Up Keller parade, and more to celebrate Independence Day weekend. The evening will feature a beautiful display on the Keller Town Hall pond thanks to thousands of glowing water lanterns decorated by community members. The night will be capped off with a fireworks show.

Lone Star Park presents Lone Stars & Stripes Fireworks Festival
Many Fourth of July events feature similar activities, but there's only one where you can watch some horse racing as an appetizer for the main event. The Lone Stars & Stripes Fireworks Festival will feature live music with Vegas Stars, family fun activities, and a 20-minute fireworks show choreographed to music taking place shortly after the last live race at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie on both July 3 and 4.

Addison Kaboom Town
The celebration of Addison Kaboom Town! is city-wide, with a limited-capacity party in Addison Circle Park, watch parties at many of Addison’s restaurants, hotels, and the Addison Airport Freedom Flyover, which can be seen from anywhere in town. The 30-minute long fireworks show is among the best in the nation; for anyone who can't make it to view the fireworks in person, the fireworks display will be livestreamed on the Town of Addison's YouTube Channel.

City of Arlington presents 4th of July Celebration
It might seem strange, but Arlington's 4th of July Celebration does not actually include a celebration on July 4th. Instead, the city will put on a fireworks display in the heart of Arlington’s Entertainment District just north of Globe Life Field on July 3, followed by the annual Independence Day parade on July 5 in downtown Arlington. For the fireworks show, the Globe Life Field, AT&T Stadium, and Esports Stadium Arlington & Expo Center parking lots will be open to the public so that families can set up chairs or tailgate.

Sunday, July 4

Dallas Heritage Village presents Old Fashioned Fourth of July
Independence Day will kick off relatively early with Dallas Heritage Village's Old Fashioned Fourth of July. A joint fundraiser with Vogel Alcove, the event will have food trucks like Smokey Ray’s Barbecue and Kona, and families can bring bikes, trikes, and scooters for a day of fun in Old City Park, where the museum will have an "All Join In" parade. A special reading by Michael Brundy of Frederick Douglass’s famous Independence Day Speech will also be read during the festivities.

Frisco Freedom Fest
The Frisco Freedom Fest includes Party in the Plaza at Simpson Plaza at City Hall, featuring an array of activities including the Children’s Expo, a Community Stage featuring local entertainers, Hometown Hero Exhibit showcasing the police and fire departments, the Taste of Frisco with Frisco restaurants serving some of their most popular menu items, and the Patriotic Vendor Village. The event comes to a close with one of the largest fireworks finales in the area following the conclusion of the FC Dallas match at Toyota Stadium.

Castle Hills presents July 4th Freedom Festival
The annual July 4th Freedom Festival at Castle Hills Village Shops & Plaza in Lewisville is a community tradition for more than 20 years. The event will feature activities such as bounce houses, carnival games, and music. Concessions will be available for purchase from several Village Shops’ restaurants and several food trucks. The highlight of the evening, a fireworks show, will start at dusk.

Panther Island Pavilion presents Fort Worth’s Fourth
Fort Worthians can celebrate Independence Day with an evening of festival food, drinks, live music, and the largest fireworks show in North Texas. Attendees are encouraged to enter the festival grounds as early as 6 pm for the fireworks show to claim a spot. The public is allowed to bring their own tube and float from 6-8 pm. Local food and beverage vendors will be on site with multiple stands throughout the festival grounds. There will also be live music from The Ray Johnston Band and the Party Machine Band before the 29-minute fireworks show starts at 9:30 pm.

City of Plano presents All American 4th
Plano's All American 4th & Fireworks will be held both in-person and online for 2021. The in-person event, to which guests can bring blankets, coolers, and lawn chairs, begins at 6 pm at Red Tail Pavilion at the Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve, with fireworks beginning at 9:30 pm. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. The show will also livestream on The City of Plano's YouTube page, PTV, and Plano Arts & Events Facebook page.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents America Strong
In lieu of their annual Old-Fashioned Family Fireworks Picnic, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will present this concert at Dickies Arena. There may not be actual fireworks, but concertgoers can expect more than 60 minutes of music from the orchestra and world-renowned opera singers Latonia Moore and Morris Robinson, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya in his final season with the orchestra. Selections will include the “Star Spangled Banner,” “Lightspeed – Fanfare for Orchestra” by TCU composer Kevin Day, and more works by leading Black and Latin American composers like Adolphus Hailstork and Jimmy Lopez. The concert will also be broadcast live on WFAA Channel 8.

City of Grapevine presents 39th Annual July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza
Visitors can celebrate America’s birthday at the 39th Annual July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza, complete with spectacular fireworks set to patriotic music. Viewing locations include some of Grapevine’s lakeside parks, including Oak Grove Park, Lakeview Park, Meadowmere Park, and Rockledge Park. Parking or entry fees may apply.

City of Carrollton presents 4th of July Community Fireworks Display
The City of Carrollton will host a fireworks show to celebrate the 4th of July. Residents are encouraged to view the 15-minute fireworks display from surrounding neighborhoods or from one of the available parking areas. There will be no on-site event.

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Movie Review

Oscar-winning director tackles WWII in melodramatic film Blitz

Photo courtesy of Apple TV+

Elliott Heffernan and Saoirse Ronan in Blitz.

The horrors of World War II are 80+ years in the past, yet they remain a fascination for many filmmakers. The latest film to tackle the era, Blitz, is centered around the German Blitzkrieg air raids on London in September 1940, but uses a more personal story to illustrate its impact.

Rita (Saoirse Ronan) lives with her 9-year-old son George (Elliott Heffernan) and her father Gerald (Paul Weller) in the lower class neighborhood of Stepney, but no one in the city is immune from the bombs being dropped by the Germans. The government has opened up some of the Underground (aka subway) tunnels for residents to use as bomb shelters, but the haphazard nature of their availability leads Rita to send George to safety in the countryside to protect him.

George, who is biracial, experiences racist abuse on the train, and instead of remaining with the other children to their destination, he jumps off and tries to make his way back to London. Meanwhile, Rita is doing her best to keep her mind off of George’s absence, working at a munition factory and volunteering at a bomb shelter, not knowing that George has put himself back in danger.

Written and directed by Steve McQueen, the film should be one that elicits emotions relatively easily, with ordinary people dealing with the effects of war and a mother separated from her only child. And while all the elements are present, there’s that certain something missing that leaves the story somewhat uninvolving. McQueen makes you want to see George make it back safely and for Rita to be reunited with him, but there is a degree of sentimentality that’s missing from the film as a whole.

Instead of going down that road, McQueen puts a big focus on the racism and bigotry experienced by various people in the film. Flashbacks give a sense of what George and his dad, Marcus (CJ Beckford), went through prior to the war, and Ife (Benjamin Clementine), a warden who tries to help George find his way home, encounters it multiple times while just doing his duty. While McQueen’s point that people of color still had to endure acts of hatred in a time when people should have been coming together, his methods of showing it are often heavy-handed.

Still, the film is well-made and remains visually engaging throughout. The combination of practical sets and CGI put the viewer right in the middle of the bombed-out London, and there are few missteps with how the city is presented. And even though the main mother-son story is only lightly effective, the trials and tribulations that each go through individually are interesting and occasionally suspenseful.

Ronan is a fantastic actor who might get nominated for an Oscar yet again for her other recent film, The Outrun, but this role pales in comparison. Whether it’s because the 30-year-old is a bit young to be fully believable in a mother role or because of the storytelling missteps, she’s merely good instead of great here. Heffernan does a solid job in his film debut, reacting ably to McQueen putting him through his paces.

Blitz joins the seemingly never-ending well of stories from World War II, and while it doesn’t succeed as mightily as other notable war films, it never becomes anything less than watchable. The family story at its center could have been more heartfelt, but McQueen is still a great filmmaker with a flair for visual composition.

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Blitz is now streaming on Apple TV+.

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