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Star-spangled celebrations

The official list of top 4th of July events and fireworks around Dallas in 2023

Alex Bentley
Jun 13, 2023 | 3:01 pm
Fair Park Fourth

Fair Park Fourth is just one of many Fourth of July events in the Dallas area.

Photo courtesy of Fair Park

The Dallas area, as always, will feature no shortage of Independence Day-related events in the days leading up to July 4th and, of course, on the day itself. Below are the biggest and best Fourth of July celebrations taking place this year all around the Dallas area, in chronological order. For a list of Fort Worth-area events, see this list.

Saturday, June 24

Market Street Allen USA
Market Street Allen USA, presented by Credit Union of Texas, is a summer party featuring music from Emerald City Band and Audacity, food trucks, and one of the best fireworks shows in Dallas-Fort Worth. It will take place at Celebration Park in Allen.

Ennis Freedom Fest
Freedom Fest at Veterans Memorial Park in Ennis features activities like paddle boats, slides, bounce houses, an obstacle course, and rock climbing wall; live music from Even It Up - The Ultimate Heart Tribute Band; food vendors, with the first 500 visitors receiving a free In-N-Out burger meal; and a fireworks display to end the night. There will also be a colorful bike parade through downtown Ennis on Saturday morning, a Main Street Midway Carnival throughout the weekend (June 22-25), and more.

Saturday, July 1

4th of July Weekend in Denton
4th of July Weekend in Denton is a two-day event, starting with the Yankee Doodle Parade on July 1, featuring a variety of floats, organizations, and more, starting in Historic Denton Square and finishing at Denton Civic Center. On July 3, the July Jubilee in the Historic Denton Square features live music, food from local vendors, inflatables, games, rock climbing, face painting, photo opportunities, a hot dog eating contest, and drone shows sponsored by Denton Noon Kiwanis.

The Colony Parks & Recreation Department presents Liberty by the Lake
The Colony Parks & Recreation Department's 26th annual Liberty by the Lake kicks off in the morning with the Liberty 5K, 10K & Mile Fun Run at Stewart Creek Park and a parade from Peters Colony Elementary to The Colony Five Star Complex. That will be the location of the main evening event, featuring games, rides, food, live music, and more. The night will end with an Independence Day fireworks show set to patriotic music.

Monument Realty PGA District presents Fireworks on The Fairway: Independence Day Celebration
Omni PGA Frisco Resort will present the official Grand Opening of the Monument Realty PGA District with Independence Day festivities. The evening will be filled with music by Emerald City’s Limelight group, food, carnival games, face-painting, and finishes with a high-tech drone show followed by fireworks.

Klyde Warren Park presents Independence Day Celebration
Klyde Warren Park's Independence Day Celebration will feature summer treats from a variety of food trucks, live patriotic music, family-fun games, and the grand finale — a city-wide pyrotechnic display synced to a curated playlist by Dallas native and fan-favorite, DJ Lucy.

Sunday, July 2

Star Spangled Spectacular: A Firewheel Town Center Celebration
Star Spangled Spectacular: A Firewheel Town Center Celebration, sponsored by the City of Garland, will feature a plethora of family activities, food vendors, photo moments, live entertainment, inflatables, lawn games, a fireworks show, and more. The event takes place at Firewheel Town Center.

Monday, July 3

The Sound at Cypress Waters presents 2nd Annual Sensory Sensitive 4th of July Celebration
The Sound at Cypress Waters' 2nd Annual Sensory Sensitive Fourth of July Celebration is an Independence Day event that provides a fun and safe alternative to people and pets who deal with noise sensitivity. Traditional fireworks will be replaced with a colorful patriotic laser light show at dark. The event will also include a concert by 1999 The Legacy of Prince, animal education from Creature Teacher, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Petting Zoo, Disc Dog Demonstrations on the lawn, face painting, and more.

Lone Star Park presents Lone Stars & Stripes Celebration
Lone Star Park will celebrate America on both July 3 and 4 with live racing, live music on the Courtyard of Champions Stage from 3-9 pm, featuring Vegas stars; and family activities like a petting zoo, pony rides, face painters, airbrush tattoo artists, inflatable slides, obstacle course, and games. After the last race, there will be 20-minutes fireworks show, choreographed to music.

Addison Kaboom Town!
Addison Kaboom Town! features an official watch party at Addison Circle Park with food and drink vendors, musical entertainment, and family-friendly activities. As a town-wide celebration, the festivities extend beyond the park with watch parties hosted by many of the Town’s 200 restaurants. As has been the tradition for decades, the fireworks show will be preceded by the Addison Airport Air Show, an aerial spectacle that can be seen from miles away. The show will begin at 7:30 pm, two hours prior to the fireworks show.

City of Arlington presents Light Up Arlington
Light Up Arlington includes live music on four stages around Downtown Arlington, vendors, food trucks, and kid-friendly fun. The fireworks display, set to music on 95.9 The Ranch FM, will be shot from the roof of City Tower, which is located east of City Hall. The next morning on July 4 will be the Arlington Independence Day Parade, featuring 120 entries and traveling around downtown Arlington.

City of McKinney presents Red, White, and BOOM!
The City of McKinney celebrates the Fourth of July at Red, White and BOOM!, a two-day event. On July 3, festivities at Gabe Nesbitt Community Park include music, food, kids’ activities, a concert, and a fireworks display. On the morning of July 4 will be a Parade and Block Party in Downtown McKinney.

City of Carrollton presents Independence Day Fireworks Display
The City of Carrollton will present a 15-minute fireworks show over Josey Ranch Lake. Residents are encouraged to view the fireworks show from surrounding neighborhoods or from one of the available parking areas. There will be no on-site event; however, viewing from the grassy area around the site is allowed.

Tuesday, July 4

City of Irving presents Sparks & Stripes
The City of Irving's annual Independence Day celebration features a morning parade starting at 9 am throughout the Irving's Heritage District, with the Watermelon Social immediately following at Heritage Park. The evening starts at 6 pm at Levy Event Plaza, featuring live music, fireworks, a drone show, and more.

Dallas Winds presents "Star-Spangled Spectacular"
Dallas Winds' "Star-Spangled Spectacular" is a red, white, and blue musical salute to mom, apple pie and the American way, Dallas Winds style. There will be hot dogs, ice cream, and indoor fireworks at the concert at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Old City Park presents Block Party at the Park
Old City Park in Dallas will host Block Party at the Park, a Fourth of July event featuring games spread out throughout the park, water gun mayhem on Main Street, and a raffle contest with a surprise prize. The event is also BYOB.

Plano Symphony Orchestra presents Patriotic Pops Concert
The Plano Symphony Orchestra's annual Patriotic Pops concert includes a tribute to all the branches of the armed forces. The concert at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson will include traditional favorites "The Star-Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America," and "Salute to the Armed Forces," as well as a celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue."

Frisco Freedom Fest
Frisco Freedom Fest features Party in the Plaza, including dancers, music, a Children's Expo, and the Taste of Frisco with Frisco restaurants serving some of their most popular menu items. The fest ends with one of the largest fireworks finales in Dallas-Fort Worth, a 20-minute show following the conclusion of the FC Dallas match vs. DC United at Toyota Stadium.

Little Elm presents July Jubilee
July Jubilee, Little Elm's annual Fourth of July event will feature two simultaneous fireworks shows - one from Little Elm Beach and the other at Little Elm High School. Little Elm Park will be open all day with vendors, live music from Empire 6, and more.

Fair Park Fourth
Fair Park Fourth will feature hands-on activities for kids, live music, photo opportunities, food trucks, and other concession offerings. As the sun sets, a spectacular firework show will light the sky. Guests can experience the show inside Cotton Bowl Stadium or across Fair Park. In addition to Fair Park Fourth activities, guests can visit some of Fair Park’s cultural institutions and attractions, including the African American Museum, Children’s Aquarium, and Texas Discovery Gardens.

City of Rowlett presents Fireworks on Main
The City of Rowlett's Fireworks on Main will feature a dazzling fireworks display, performances by Summer Dean, Live 80, and Emerald City Band, a children's area, food trucks, and more. The event takes place at Pecan Grove Park.

The Castle Hills Community and The City of Lewisville present 25th Anniversary Freedom Festival
The Castle Hills community and The City of Lewisville's 25th annual Freedom Festival at Castle Hills Village Shops & Plaza will feature face painters, balloon artists, caricature artists, a bounce house/water slide combo, an ultimate bungee ride, a ninja tower, food trucks, live music, and more. The highlight of the night will be a spectacular fireworks display, scheduled to begin at dusk.

The City of Plano presents All American 4th
At Plano’s All American 4th, taking place at Collin College Plano Campus, visitors can enjoy the free kids’ zone, parade by Rotary Parades of Plano, and a fireworks show. Vendors will have food and beverages available for purchase.

Grapevine presents July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza
Grapevine will celebrate America’s birthday with the annual July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza, featuring spectacular fireworks set to patriotic music. Viewing locations will be around Grapevine Lake, including multiple spots at Oak Grove Park.

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Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Alex Bentley
Aug 21, 2026 | 11:44 am
Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree
Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment
Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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