Celebrate Independence Day on the South Shore with Festivals, Fireworks

Concerts, festivals, fireworks, and more will herald Fourth of July celebrations on the South Shore. Explore what's happening in several Massachusetts communities for the Independence Day weekend.

The Boston Pops will present its annual July 4th Spectacular at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 4. Conductor Keith Lockhart will direct the program featuring the Boston Pops orchestra. Special guests will include country singer LeAnn Rimes, Leslie Odom Jr., Bell Biv DeVoe, the U.S. Army Field Band Soldiers' Chorus, and the Boston Children's Chorus. 

The concert will conclude at 10:30 p.m. with a fireworks display from 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Braintree Day will get the area's July 4 celebrations started early on Saturday, June 28. The Braintree High School field will host the town's Fourth of July celebration, which will include a parade, a concert, and fireworks. 

Braintree's Stars & Stripes Parade will step off from the Registry of Motor Vehicles parking lot on Plain Street at 11:45 a.m. and end at the Hollis School, 482 Washington St. 

The festival will include stage performances at 4 p.m., dozens of food trucks, children's activities, and live music. The Band With No Name will play classic hits from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Pink Houses, a John Mellencamp tribute, will perform from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. A fireworks display will light the night at 9:30 p.m. and will be viewable from the high school, Sunset Lake, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Quincy will mark its 400th anniversary with the Maritime Festival along Marina Bay's boardwalk from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 4. The event will include live music performances, a balloon magic show, sand sculptures, and a Revolutionary War living history demonstration by the Lexington Minutemen at 3:30 p.m. The festival continues through the weekend, with programming from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday ,July 5, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 6.