4th of July Celebrations in SF

Two beachgoers holding up an American flag

If you’re living in the best apartments for rent San Francisco has to offer, you’ll want to take advantage of some of the incredible 4th of July weekend celebrations going on in 2017. Since the 4th of July lands on a Tuesday this year, the celebrations are beginning earlier and you can start having a fun time as early as July 1, which is a Saturday.

Instead of sitting home alone on the 4th of July this year, why not go out with family and friends and enjoy the celebration with everybody else? They’ll be plenty of fireworks, barbecues, festivals, and other types of wonderful events. We’ll tell you all about them right now, and after reading through our list of exciting things to do this 4th of July, choose one or more that seems like it’s right up your alley.

xperience Fireworks like You’ve Never Seen Them before at These Exciting 4th Of July Celebrations

As an alternative to naming just one place to see fireworks this year during the 4th of July weekend celebrations, we’d like to offer you a wide variety of options. And the cool thing is that many of these great attractions make it easy to get discounts if you use your Go San Francisco Card.

Since everybody seems to love watching the fireworks on the 4th of July – and who wouldn’t since it’s an amazing celebration – San Francisco plans to have two major places where they’ll shoot off fireworks this year. The two locations are a barge on Pier 39 and the Municipal Pier.

The great thing about these particular strategic locations is you can see the fireworks from many popular locations. Since both of the performances are synced and take place in tandem, it’s truly a sight to behold and we want you to have the best opportunity to see both fireworks displays.

With that in mind, please consider getting to any of the following locations before 9 PM when the fireworks begin. If you get a good spot at any of these places we’re about to mention, you’ll be able to see both fireworks shows going off in tandem and you’ll really have an amazing experience.

To make the most of the fireworks displays this year, please look on in awe of this spectacular event by visiting the following locations: Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, Aquatic Park, Coit Tower, and The Cannery. If you enjoy the fireworks display from any one of these great locations, you'll be able to take in both shows at the same time and experience an astounding firework event like you’ve never seen before.

Pro tip: many of the surrounding streets in this area will be closed, so you're better off taking public transportation to your location of choice. Do so several hours in advance of the fireworks to make sure you can get in and find a place to hang out without any difficulty.

It's free to watch San Francisco fireworks displays. So you don't have to worry about paying anything to enjoy this experience. Just remember it's going to be crowded so prepare in advance as best you can.

Angel Island Fireworks Display

If you're looking for a party atmosphere on the 4th of July, you always have the option to watch the fireworks displays on Angel Island. The great thing about heading over there for this event this it's a lot more than just watching the fireworks.

While you're on Angel Island, you'll have an opportunity to experience dancing, live music, wine, beer, great food, and an awesome view of the fireworks at the same time. Again, since the fireworks display is free to watch, you'll only have to pay for round-trip ferry tickets to get to Angel Island and back.

As you can imagine, Angel Island is very busy on the 4th of July, so if you do plan on visiting we highly recommend making your ferry reservations well in advance. Otherwise you may not be able to get transportation back and forth from the island, and that would be a shame because it truly is a fun, exciting, and really enjoyable experience.

Take a Cruise in San Francisco on July 4th

If you're looking for something different and out of the ordinary to do, there are many specialty cruises that you can take on the 4th of July or during 4th of July weekend. Why take a cruise? Well, there are many delightful cruises taking place out on the water. The weather is going to be beautiful early in July, so you'll experience warmer weather, sunny skies, and a beautiful breeze coming off of the ocean.

There are a couple of interesting cruises to consider that we highly recommend. You can check out the Bridge 2 Bridge Cruise or the Golden Gate Bay Cruise. Take advantage of either one of these cruises because they are both really fun and the perfect way to spend the 4th of July this year.

Fillmore Jazz Festival

If you’re looking for something to do in San Francisco on 4th of July weekend, the Fillmore Jazz Festival is definitely an excellent option. The great thing about this festival is that it takes place on July 1 through July 2, so you can enjoy the festival all weekend long and still get to go to one of the other places to see the fireworks on the 4th.

The beauty of the jazz festival is that you are not going to want to miss this amazing local event if you happen to love music. It’s held each year in Pacific Heights and celebrates the amazing musical heritage of San Francisco. It’s also the biggest festival of its kind each year on the West Coast, so they’ll be plenty of people, tasty beverages, incredible food, and world-class music.

The festival starts at 10 AM and ends at 6 PM both days. There are different performances and performers each day.