Let the celebrations begin for the 235th anniversary of the United States of America! The seventh annual Freedom Festival will be held at Mercer County Park in West Windsor on Saturday, June 25, from 3 to 11 p.m. Admission is free.
The event features food, beer and wine gardens, craft vendors, live music, tethered hot-air balloon rides, games, water rides, quoits pits, a children’s area with inflatable rides, and more. The festival culminates in a fireworks display at nightfall.
The concert lineup starts with Bad Medicine, a Bon Jovi cover band, at 3:30 p.m.; Lost in Paris at 5:30 p.m.; the Amish Outlaws at 7:30 p.m., and Incognito immediately after the fireworks.
“The Freedom Festival gets better each year, with help from our lead sponsor, WPST, and we are so pleased that it has become an annual attraction,” said Brian Hughes, Mercer County Executive, in a press release. “Mercer County Park is more popular than ever and I invite everyone to come to this free family event.”
Some of the numerous Fourth of July festivities in the area include:
Freedom Festival, Mercer County, Mercer County Park, West Windsor. Saturday, June 25, 3 to 11 p.m. Food, games, beer and wine gardens, craft vendors, tethered hot-air balloon rides, water rides, games, inflatable rides, and fireworks. Band performances by Bad Medicine, a Bon Jovi cover band, at 3:30 p.m.; Lost in Paris at 5:30 p.m.; Amish Outlaws at 7:30 p.m.; and Incognito after the fireworks. Free admission. 609-448-7107. www.wpst.com/freedomfestival.
Concert and Fireworks, Hopewell Valley Veterans Association, Alliger Park, 203 Washington Crossing Pennington Road, Titusville. Sunday, June 26, 7:30 p.m. Concert by the 78th Army Band followed by fireworks display. A variety of music including military songs and traditional concert pieces. Alcohol is prohibited. Carpooling is recommended. Free. www.hopewellvalleyveterans.org.
Star Spangled Event, Boehm Porcelain Gallery, 25 Princess Diana Drive, Hamilton. Wednesday, June 29, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Galleries open to celebrate the Fourth of July with art sculptures. Rain or shine. 609-392-2207. www.boehmporcelain.com.
Stars and Stripes: Fabric of the American Spirit, Morven Museum, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. Thursday, June 30, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Opening reception for an exhibit of 100 flags from the Pierce Collection of American Parade Flags, a tribute the America’s national symbol. The Flag Act specified only that the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternating red and white, and that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field. A variety of configurations and patterns will be on display though October 30. 609-924-8144. www.morven.org.
Stars n’ Stripes Fourth of July Celebration, Washington Crossing Open Air Theater, 355 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville. Friday, July 1, 7:30 p.m. $15. Blankets, seat cushions, and insect repellent are recommended. Picnics welcome before show. Food available. 267-885-9857. www.dpacatoat.com.
Fireworks, Spirit of Princeton, Princeton Stadium. Friday, July 1, 7 p.m. Independence Day celebration. Picnics welcome. Bring blankets or chairs. No alcoholic beverages. 609-683-4008. www.spiritofprinceton.homestead.com.
Fireworks, East Windsor Township, Etra Lake Park. Saturday, July 2, 6 p.m. Music followed by fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Raindate is Saturday, July 2. www.east-windsor.nj.us.
Fireworks, Hamilton Township, Veterans Park, Hamilton. Friday, July 1, 7 p.m. Music by Greaseband followed by fireworks at dusk. Raindate is Sunday, July 3. 609-890-4028. www.hamiltonnj.com.
Friday Night Fireworks, New Hope Chamber, New Hope and Lambertville. Friday, July 1, 5 p.m. Happy hours, dining, and shopping in conjunction with fireworks over the Delaware River at 9:30 p.m. Marty Moss Coane, NPR host of Radio Times, initiates the countdown. 215-862-9990. www.newhopeLambertvillefireworks.com.
Trenton Thunder Baseball, Waterfront Park, Route 29. Friday, July 1, 7:05 p.m. Altoona. $10 to $13. Fireworks. 609-394-8326. www.trentonthunder.com.
Independence Day Celebration, South Brunswick Recreation, Crossroads Middle School, Kingston Lane. Saturday, July 2, 3 p.m. Music and entertainment. Food vendors. Fireworks at 9 p.m. Bring chairs, blankets, and picnics. 732-329-4000. www.sbtnj.net.
Summer Band, Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, 54 Pitman Avenue, Ocean Grove. Saturday, July 2, 7:30 p.m. “Happy 235th Birthday America” features marches, show tunes, and patriotic fare. Harry D. Eichhorn conducts. Free. 800-590-4094. www.oceangrove.org.
Stars n’ Stripes Fourth of July Celebration, Washington Crossing Open Air Theater, 355 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville. Saturday and Sunday, July 2 and 3, 7:30 p.m. $15. Blankets, seat cushions, and insect repellent are recommended. Picnics welcome before show. Food available. 267-885-9857. www.dpacatoat.com.
Trenton Thunder Baseball, Waterfront Park, Route 29. Saturday and Sunday, July 2 and 3, 7:05 p.m. Altoona. $10 to $13. Fireworks. 609-394-8326. www.trentonthunder.com.
Independence Day Celebration, Christ Church, 5 Paterson Street, New Brunswick. Monday, July 4, 11 a.m. A reading of the Declaration of Independence. A program of traditional patriotic songs played on a Richards-Fowkes pipe organ. A tour of the cemetery and gravestone rubbing. Refreshments available. Free admission. 732-545-6262. www.christchurchnewbrunswick.org.
Celebration, Monroe Township Cultural Arts Commission, Thompson Park, Monroe. Monday, July 4, 5 p.m. Fireworks at dusk. Free. 732-521-2111. www.monroetownshipculturalarts.com.
Kutztown Festival, Fairgrounds, Route 222, between Allentown and Reading. Monday, July 4, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Family-oriented festival that celebrates Pennsylvania Dutch folklife. Juried folk artists, American craftsmen, music, country dancing, children’s activities, quilt sale, and food. $14. 888-674-6136. www.kutztownfestival.com.
4th of July Yoga Explosion, Princeton Center for Yoga & Health, 50 Vreeland Drive, Suite 506, Skillman. Monday, July 4, 9 a.m. to noon. Guided meditation, healing with crystal singing bowls, breathing exercises, hatha and yin yoga postures, and restorative yoga. Register. $35. 609-924-7294. www.princetonyoga.com.
Independence Day Class, Yoga Above, 80 Nassau Street, Princeton. Monday, July 4, 10 a.m. Celebrate the expansion of the center. Free-will donation to benefit Karen Dozer, a community member battling the physical, emotional, and financial stress of living with breast cancer. 609-613-1378. www.yogaabove.com.
Parade, Ewing Township, Ewing. Monday, July 4, 10 a.m. Ed Goldberg and the Odessa Klezmer Band is just one of the bands marching in the Independence Day parade. 609-883-2900. ewingnj.org.
Celebrating America’s Independence Day, Princeton Battlefield State Park, 500 Mercer Road, Princeton. Monday, July 4, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Revolutionary War period soldiers and second Continental Artillery demonstrate drill, artillery, and flintlock muskets. Period games for all ages. Tour the Thomas Clarke House and the Arms of the Revolution exhibit. Bring a picnic lunch, hike on the trails. No barbecues or alcohol. Free. 609-921-0074. www.saveprincetonbattlefield.org.
Old-Fashioned Celebration, Fonthill Museum, East Court Street and Swamp Road, Doylestown. Monday, July 4, Noon. to 5 p.m. Recreation of an early 20th century July Fourth celebration including a decorated bike parade, a town ball game (19th century baseball), a watermelon eating contest, antique bicycle display, old-time games, and live music. $4. 215-348-9461. www.mercermuseum.org.
Independence Day Celebration, Morven Museum, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. Monday, July 4, Noon. to 3 p.m. Sign the Declaration of Independence, commemorate the 13 colonies at a bell ringing ceremony, demonstrations of colonial life by the Past Pasters, live music, and a dramatic presentation by Stacy Roth highlighting the lives of women who belonged to the Army during the American Revolution. Free.
The museum will be open for guests to see “The Stars and Stripes: Fabric of the American Spirit.” Admission to the museum is $6. 609-924-8144. www.morven.org.
Independence Day, Middlesex County Cultural Commission, East Jersey Olde Towne Village, 1050 River Road, Piscataway. Monday, July 4, 2 p.m. Storytelling program. Register. Free. 732-745-3030. www.cultureheritage.org.
Concert and Fireworks, Cranbury, Main Street. Tuesday, July 5, 6:30 p.m. Concert by Mercer County Symphonic Band followed by fireworks at 9 p.m. Bring blankets and a picnic dinner (no alcoholic beverages). Rain date is Wednesday, July 6. 609-395-0900.
— Lynn Miller
