Santa Barbara’s annual Fourth of July Celebration, hosted by the city’s Waterfront and Parks and Recreation departments, will transform the city’s waterfront for a full day of family-friendly activities.

Red white and blue fireworks light up the sky for a Fourth of July celebration. (Courtesy photo)
Red white and blue fireworks light up the sky for a Fourth of July celebration. (Courtesy photo)

This year’s celebration is significant as communities across the nation commemorate the semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

“Santa Barbara is proud to join in this historic moment with a full day of festivities at the waterfront, bringing residents and visitors together to honor our shared history and the spirit of independence,” organizers said.

The Independence Day festivities will be 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 4 at West Beach, 99 W. Cabrillo Blvd. There will be live music at the West Beach Bandstand, sponsored by the PARC Foundation, before a 20-minute fireworks display presented by Garden State Fireworks and sponsored by the Santa Barbara Waterfront Department around 9 p.m.

Also at West Beach, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. along the Cabrillo Boulevard sidewalk, there will be a
street fair with food vendors sponsored by the PARC Foundation. Vendors include Tink’s Old Fashioned Hot Dogs, Lidos Philly Cheese Steaks, Timbers Roadhouse, G Brothers Kettle Corn, Elubia’s Kitchen, and Oakberry Acai.

The following road closures will allow crowds to take the celebration to the streets starting at 6 p.m.

· Cabrillo Boulevard – Closed to vehicle traffic at 6 p.m. from Castillo Street to Calle Cesar Chavez.
· State Street – Closed to vehicle traffic at 6 p.m. from Gutierrez Street to Cabrillo Boulevard.
· Stearns Wharf – Closed to vehicle traffic at 3:30 p.m.

For more information, including parking and road closures, visit Fourth of July Celebration.


For more about the Parks and Recreation Community Foundation, visit PARC Foundation.
  
The city is also looking for volunteers to join the July 5th Beach Cleanup. The city will partner with Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and Tidy Seas to host cleanups at nearby beaches to ensure any litter left over the holiday does not make its way into the ocean.

Cleanups will take place 9-11 a.m. at Leadbetter Beach, West Beach, and East Beach at Skater’s Point and the Cabrillo Pavillion. Gloves and buckets will be provided for all volunteers, along with a parking pass for the beach cleanup.
 
Register here to help with the cleanup.
 
Finally, in celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary, Santa Barbara Mission Canyon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the American Battlefield Trust will present American Revolution Experience, a traveling educational exhibit at Central Library, July 10-17 during regular library hours.

Guests may be greeted by members of the Mission Canyon Chapter of the DAR to learn more about Santa Barbara’s Connection to American Revolutionary War history.
 
Exhibit times are: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and noon-5 p.m. Sunday in the Central Library’s Fireplace Room, 40 E. Anapamu St.