This Thursday, July 4th, the United States will celebrate its 248th Independence Day, with record-breaking numbers of travelers expected and consumer spending surpassing previous years, despite many areas enduring scorching temperatures and severe thunderstorm weather.
High temperatures and heavy rain will not dampen people’s enthusiasm for celebrating the holiday.
From Boston Harborfest to San Diego’s Big Bay Boom, from Seattle’s Seafair to Miami’s Celebration in Peacock Park, extending to main streets in small towns and backyard gatherings, July 4th will see patriotic parades, barbecues, music filling the air, and fireworks lighting up the sky.
Against the backdrop of the traditional red, white, and blue, celebrations will range from the likes of Philadelphia hosting the “Fourth of July Jam” – the largest free music concert in the U.S., to unique festivities such as the “Best Tail Wag” in Bryson Creek, North Carolina.
Historical reenactments in places like Put-In-Bay, Ohio, will feature cowboy showdowns – the Cody Wyoming Stampede – complete with lassos and cannons. A full slate of Major League Baseball games will also take place. And of course, there will be barbecues, with the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimating over 150 million hot dogs will be consumed nationwide.
However, competitive eater Joey Chestnut, known for breaking world records, will be skipping the hot dogs this year. Having won 16 championships in the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, New York, he is not allowed to defend his title due to a sponsorship agreement with Impossible Foods, a plant-based hot dog competitor.
Meanwhile, the “World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating World Championship” in Key West, Florida, on July 4th is expected to proceed without such controversies.
WalletHub’s annual ranking of the “Best and Worst Places to Celebrate the Fourth of July” places Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, Las Vegas, and Minneapolis, Minnesota as the top five locations for July 4th celebrations.
American Flags, Inc., based in West Bay Shore, New York, has selected the “20 Best Small Town Fourth of July Celebrations” based on a more traditional, Main Street U.S.A. aesthetic. These quaint celebrations include events in places like Flagstaff, Arizona; Lambertville, New Jersey; Homer, Alaska; Virginia City, Nevada; Bristol, Rhode Island; and Washington, Georgia.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reports that over 11,000 individuals will become U.S. citizens on July 4th as part of 195 naturalization ceremonies held from June 28th to July 5th, many symbolically scheduled for America’s birthday.
From Misawa Air Base in Japan to Mesa, Arizona; Des Moines, Iowa; Sturbridge, Massachusetts; and Apopka, Florida, citizens will take their oaths on July 4th.
According to the National Retail Federation’s Independence Day Data Center, 87% of American consumers are planning to celebrate the holiday in 2024, with an average spending of $90.42 per person on food alone.
The NRF estimates that spending on July 4th food nationwide will reach a record $9.4 billion, with 66% of individuals participating in barbecues and picnics, 44% planning to watch fireworks and join community celebrations, 13% attending parades, and 12% seeking a relaxing four-day weekend getaway.
Another 31% of NRF respondents indicate they will purchase “patriotic items” to decorate their homes or wear on July 4th.
The American Pyrotechnics Association predicts Americans will spend $2.4 billion during the “fireworks season,” which peaks in the days leading up to July 4th, an increase of nearly $100 million from the previous year.
This year’s average fireworks cost has decreased by 5% to 10% compared to last year, attributed to reduced shipping costs.
State regulations permit only public fireworks displays in Massachusetts, making individual fireworks prohibited except with approval and supervision from state or local officials.
The American Automobile Association estimates that this July 4th weekend will see more travelers on highways than ever before, with 60.6 million people driving to their destinations and 5.74 million flying.
This figure is higher than the 57.8 million individuals who traveled by car in 2023 and surpasses the pre-pandemic 2019 Independence Day count of 55.3 million car trips.
AAA’s Senior Vice President Paula Twidale anticipates that with summer in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans will embark on long weekend trips around Independence Day, making this July 4th week the busiest ever.
Overall national gas prices are slightly lower this year, averaging $3.50 per gallon as of June 27th, down from $3.56 per gallon last year.
AccuWeather forecasts that most areas in all 48 continental states will experience “scattered storms with some areas as hot as fireworks” on July 4th.
Temperatures in California’s Central Valley are expected to range from 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Sacramento, California, could break its record of 107 degrees Fahrenheit on July 4th.
Temperatures in deserts of Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona may soar to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Las Vegas might experience one of its hottest Independence Days ever with a high of 112 degrees Fahrenheit.
AccuWeather also predicts a “baking” South, with temperatures in some areas of Texas and Oklahoma surpassing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and temperatures in Atlanta reaching around 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas caution that thunderstorms in the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys could provide some relief from the heat in the afternoon and evening but also pose a risk of tornadoes. Fireworks displays in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City might be affected by stormy conditions in the evening.