4th of July Fireworks Guide

The official guide to the biggest and brightest 4th of July events in Dallas-Fort Worth

As befitting the unofficial motto of Texas, when it comes to Fourth of July fireworks displays in Dallas-Fort Worth, it's go big or go home. Although there are plenty of options for viewing colorful explosions this Independence Day, the following list only includes the biggest and brightest.

Most of the events are free, some cost a nominal amount, but all of them guarantee grand entertainment, both in the sky and on the ground.

Addison Kaboom Town
Kaboom Town, which actually takes place on July 3, has been the standard bearer in the area for years, but recently Addison has had to install measures for crowd control. If you haven't already secured a free ticket to get into Addison Circle Park, you're out of luck, because they've all been claimed. However, the fireworks can be seen from pretty much anywhere in Addison, and many local restaurants and businesses host their own watch parties, so there are still plenty of options if Addison is where you want to be.

Denton Kiwanis Fireworks Show
The Denton Kiwanis Club has been putting on a fireworks show for over 40 years, but it wasn't until Apogee Stadium was built a couple of years ago that they had the perfect venue for the celebration. The event features an array of live music leading up to the fireworks.

Fair Park Fourth
Another stadium, the Cotton Bowl, is the optimal place to view the fireworks at Fair Park Fourth, but the event is an all-day celebration. It features performances by the Razzmajazz Dixieland Band and ZZ Top tribute band Trio Grande, rides, games and concessions along the Midway, and more. Attendees are not limited to the Cotton Bowl for fireworks viewing, though, as pretty much anywhere in Fair Park is a great spot.

Fort Worth's Fourth
Taking place at the riverside Panther Island Pavilion, Fort Worth's Fourth is an extravaganza full of activities like Jet Ski shows, Flyboard shows, pony rides, bounce houses, miniature golf, water slide, levee slide, face painting, tubing and more. Throw in a concert by Larry G(ee) and the fireworks, and you have a helluva free event.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Old-Fashioned Family Fireworks Picnic
Just down the river at Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra hosts not one, not two, but three straight days of Independence Day celebrations, starting July 2. The orchestra performs the usual array of marches and military salutes, followed by fireworks. Clever Fort Worthians can enjoy both this and Fort Worth's Fourth by placing themselves in just the right position along the Trinity River.

Frisco Freedom Fest
The celebration in Frisco is a two-fer, as Simpson Plaza outside of City Hall has activities like a zip line, Euro bungees, rock climbing wall, bounce houses and a Taste of Frisco, and FC Dallas hosts the Philadelphia Union for an all-American soccer match at Toyota Stadium later in the evening. Those with tickets to the game will have prime seats for the fireworks show emanating from the stadium at the end of the night.

Grapevine July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza
There's just something about seeing fireworks explode over a lake that makes the experience extra special, which is exactly what you get at Lake Grapevine. There are no extra activities with this one, but it's one of the longer shows around, and people come from miles around to see it, so it's best to try to claim your spot as early as possible. If that's too much of a hassle, they're putting on shorter fireworks shows every Friday night through Labor Day.

Irving Independence Day Fireworks Show
Taking place on a (much smaller) lake is Irving's celebration at Lake Carolyn. You'll want to go to this event not only for the great fireworks and entertainment from the likes of Journey tribute band Escape and Jennifer Nickerson, but also to revel in the fact that Irving was named one of the best cities for Fourth of July celebrations by WalletHub.

Lone Stars & Stripes Celebration
Along with the fireworks at Joe Pool Lake, which cost $20 per car, Grand Prairie residents can get their fill by heading over to Lone Star Park. In addition to the fireworks, entertainment includes live horse racing, family activities and a concert by Incognito. As an extra incentive, free tickets can be had at local Ford dealerships, along with an entry form to try to win a brand new 2014 Ford F-150 SuperCrew Truck, which will be given away that night.

McKinney Red, White and Boom
Last but not least, McKinney's Fourth of July celebration takes place at the massive soccer complex at Craig Ranch, featuring live music by Zane Williams and other family activities. The goings-on there are actually the culmination of a day-long event that also includes a parade and car show in downtown McKinney that morning.

The fireworks at Fair Park Fourth can be seen from anywhere around Fair Park.

Photo courtesy of Fair Park

The fireworks at Fair Park Fourth can be seen from anywhere around Fair Park.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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