Hooray for the red, white, and blue

Master list of 4th of July events and fireworks around Houston in 2024

There's a famous letter from John Adams, the second U.S. president, to his wife, Abigail, written shortly after the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He was certain future generations would mark the day with parades and pomp, and "bonfires and illuminations." Houstonians will find all manner of what Adams envisioned starting the weekend before the U.S. marks is 248th birthday on July 4.

Saturday, June 29

Conroe's Stars and Stripes Celebration
Conroe kicks off July 4 partying with a family-friendly evening of kids' activities, food trucks, a vendor market, and fireworks. The Conroe Symphony Orchestra will perform. Revelry begins at 6 pm in Heritage Park.

Wednesday, July 3

Freedom Rocks at Texas Lagoonfest
Two days of tribute band shows will get guests rocking. Enjoy food and drinks in Lagoonfest's incredible water setting. Admission to the festivities is included with regular admission tickets.

Houston Symphony Star-Spangled Salute
The symphony performs a concert of patriotic favorites in The Woodlands. Conductor Jason Seber leads the orchestra in this family-friendly concert. Look for plenty of red, white, and blue gear on the plaza before the show. Admission is free.

Thursday, July 4

Shell Freedom Over Texas
Houston's signature Independence Day party is a six-hour affair along Allen Parkway. There's a slate of local, regional, and national entertainment, headlined by Russell Dickerson, Jo Dee Messina, and Chapel Hart. The event is capped off with a musically choreographed, “Texas-sized” fireworks finale. Food and drink, and plenty of family entertainment options are available at this popular celebration.

4th of July at the Boardwalk at Towne Lake
This afternoon celebration includes live music, face painting, balloon artists, and plenty of backdrops for photo ops. It's a great option for families who want some daytime fun.

4th of July Celebrations in Galveston
Head to the island for a parade featuring the Marine Corps League, along with floats, decorated vehicles, and performers. Following the parade, enjoy "Fireworks Over the Gulf," a pyrotechnics extravaganza on the beach.

Bubbles and Fireworks Boat Tour
Reservations are extremely limited for this experience hosted by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. Guests will enjoy beer, wine, and light bites while floating along the bayou, giving them a perfect view of the Shell Freedom Over Texas fireworks display.

July 4 at the George Ranch
Families are encouraged to pack a picnic lunch and head to the historic park for a celebration of our nation's independence, as well as the ranch's 200th anniversary. It promises to be a day of history and fun.

4th of July Celebration on Skylawn
With its sweeping views of Downtown, POST Skylawn is a a great place to watch Shell Freedom Over Texas. The event venue also hosts its own July 4th festivities, with cirque performers, complimentary balloon artist creations, face painting, delicious food, and multiple bars. Both the Houston Brass Band and cover band Alias Band will perform. Early bird tickets start at $20.

City of Baytown presents 4th of July Celebration
This two-day celebration has live music from headliners The Bellamy Brothers and Brett Young. Kids activities, a car show, and food and craft vendors are also part of the fun. There's a fireworks show on July 4.

City of Bellaire Celebration of Independence Parade and Festival
The parade kicks off at 9 am at South Rice Ave. and Valerie St. Festivities take place in Loftin Park, where families will find food, music, and more.

City of Friendswood Fourth of July Celebration
The city starts Independence Day with a parade on Friendswood Drive between Heritage Drive and Stevenson Park. A festival at the park after the parade features rides, games, food, and entertainment. Evening revelry at Centennial Park has more food, entertainment by the Spazmatics, and a fireworks show.

City of Jersey Village July 4th Festival
A parade begins the evening's festivities, followed by an Eagles tribute band performance, food, games and, of course, a fireworks show. It all takes place in Jersey Meadows Park.

City of La Porte presents July 4 Celebrations
Begin the day with a parade down Broadway, before heading to the Five Points Fest, where gusts will find a free hot dog lunch, live music, and family-friendly activities. Fireworks at Sylvan Beach cap off the evening.

City of Pasadena 4th Fest
The fun begins at 4 pm on the grounds of the Pasadena Convention Center and Fairgrounds with a kids' zone, amusement rides, vendors, a live music performance, and food trucks. A fireworks display ends the evening.

City of Pearland presents Celebration of Freedom
Danny Ray and the Atlantic Street Band headline this event that includes strolling entertainment, food trucks, free giveaways, a photo booth, craft market and more. An 18-minute fireworks display begins at 9 pm.

City of Sugar Land presents Red, White, and Boom
The Crown Festival Park is the epicenter of Fourth of July fun. Look for live entertainment, plenty of social media-worthy photo ops, vendor booths, food, and more. Fireworks light up the nighttime sky. Festivities begin at 5 pm.

City of Tomball presents July 4th Celebration & Street Fest
This street party is an Independence Day bash, with live music, food, and one of the area's biggest fireworks displays. Activities include a cool zone, a kids' zone, patriotic sing-a-longs, and a whole lot more for the whole family to enjoy.

City of West University Independence Day Bike Parade and Pool Party
Families and kids of all ages are invited to roll up on bicycles, tricycles, and wagons to be part of this parade that starts at West U Elementary School and ends at Colonial Park. Post-parade activities are available for all ages.

Family 4th Celebration in Rosenberg
Marking its 25th anniversary, this free, family-friendly festival includes food vendors selling cold treats and patriotic eats. Country music favorites the Casey Donahew Band headline the event. A fireworks show will end the evening.

Freedom Celebration at Typhoon Texas
The City of Katy hosts this day of water-filled adventures. Float along the lazy river, speed down water slides, or splash in the wave pool. A fireworks display caps off the fun.

Houston Symphony presents Symphony Summer Nights: Star-Spangled Salute
The Symphony returns to Miller Outdoor Theatre for this popular, annual event featuring patriotic songs and a fireworks grand finale.

July 4 in The Woodlands
A whole day of fun awaits, beginning with the South County Fourth of July Parade, featuring marching bands, fire engines, clowns, floats, and more making its way along a 1.3-mile route through the city. Enjoy Red, Hot Pool all day at the city's pools, with patriotic decor, activities, and refreshments (while supplies last). Celebrating continues into the evening with the city's 6th Annual Red, Hot & Blue Festival and Fireworks Extravaganza. Look for food, live entertainment, and family fun at Town Green Park and Northshore Park. The event culminates with one of the largest fireworks displays in the Greater Houston area.

Kemah Boardwalk presents July 4th Celebration
Head to the entertainment complex for live music performances and an evening fireworks show. Lone Star All Star Trio, Uncle Sam Stilt Walker, and The Slags are slated to perform.

Kidpendence Day at the Children's Museum Houston
An appearance by Captain America, story time hands-on activities, and more highlight this July 4 celebration for kiddos. The fun is included with museum admission.

Missouri City Independence Day Festival
This free, family-friendly evening includes entertainment, carnival games, live music, local vendors offering treats, and a fireworks display. It's all happening on the Houston Community College - Southwest College campus.

Pine Market presents Star-Spangled Celebration
The Woodlands-area shopping district pulls out all the stops for family-friendly Fourth of July fun. Expect live music from Walker County Line Band, pony rides, face painting, balloons, a rock wall, a giant slide, and more. Red, white, and blue décor will provide a great backdrop for photos.

Seabrook Fourth of July Kids Parade
The community's children are invited to march in this parade along the trail in Meador Park. Kids can also ride their bikes. Following the parade, the Seabrook Rotary has free hot dogs and refreshments.

Valley Ranch 4th Fest
Boasting one of the largest fireworks displays in Montgomery County, this celebration also features a "Shop Small Y'all" market of local vendors, live entertainment, and music.

Freedom Over Texas Eleanor Tinsley Park Fourth of July

Courtesy of Freedom Over Texas

Southwest Airlines Freedom Over Texas celebration, which features live country music performances, ends with an enormous fireworks display.

familyfriendly events fireworks displays independence day celebrations patriotic festivities

Movie Review

28 Years Later revives zombie franchise for new generation

Photo by Miya Mizuno

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later.

The 2000s brought two of the best zombie movies ever made in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. Both films, despite being made by different filmmakers, featured intense action with fast-moving zombies, harrowing sequences, and real emotional connections with their main characters. Now the original director and writer — Danny Boyle and Alex Garland — have returned with the first of a possible three sequels, 28 Years Later.

The rage virus from the first two films that turns humans into insatiable monsters has successfully been contained to the United Kingdom, and one group of survivors has managed to band together on a small island off the coast of England. We’re introduced to the group through Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife, Isla (Jodie Comer), and his son, Spike (Alfie Williams).

Isla is sick with an unknown illness, while Jamie is set to take the 12-year-old Spike on his first trip to the mainland to hunt zombies. That trip not only gives Spike an education as to the different types of feral zombies that now populate England, but also a clue that other people have survived there. When he discovers that one of them may be a doctor, he makes plans to take his mother there in hopes of finding a cure for whatever ails her.

While the first two films were notable for their brisk pace that kept the potency of the stories high, Boyle and Garland almost go in the opposite direction for much of this film. The first 90 minutes are relatively slow, with only a couple of sequences that raise the blood pressure. The final half hour or so go a long way toward filling that void, so it’s clear that the filmmakers were biding their time for the story to come in the sequel. A bit more balance in this film would have served them well, though.

What they do show involves some weird, wild stuff that is objectively upsetting, even for fans of the genre. The zombies have evolved in strange ways, giving them a variety of body shapes and abilities to suit the environment in which they live. These storytelling choices may thrill some and have others scratching their heads. Another human character living on his own (played by Ralph Fiennes), appears to have gone the way of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, with a revelation that is bone-chilling.

Boyle, who’s directed everything from Trainspotting to Slumdog Millionaire, doesn’t have a signature style, and he makes some choices in this film that test your patience. He occasionally employs an odd technique in which the film stutters, for a lack of better term. It’s a bit jarring, especially since it doesn’t seem to improve the storytelling. He also inserts scenes from older films involving medieval warfare that emulate the bow-and-arrow weaponry used by characters in this film, but the exact connection he’s trying to make is unclear.

The young Williams has a lot put on his shoulders in the film, and he proves to be up to the task of carrying the story. He isn’t precocious or annoying, instead reacting almost exactly like you’d expect a boy of his age to do when faced with extreme situations. Taylor-Johnson and Comer are good complements for him, drawing him out with their polar opposite characters. Fiennes makes a huge impression in the final act of the film, while Jack O’Connell makes a very brief appearance, teasing a bigger role to come.

It’s difficult to fully judge 28 Years Later because it’s designed to only give you part of the story; part 2, The Bone Temple, is due in 2026, while a third film will follow if the first two do well. This film has its moments and winds up on the positive side of the ledger, but it’s also a frustrating experience that could have used a more stand-alone story.

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28 Years Later is now playing in theaters.

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