Delaware’s July Fourth is sure to include firework displays, beachgoers, live music, and more.
July Fourth – a day filled with BBQs, backyard cornhole, and beach trips – is just around the corner.
With travel agencies expecting around 12% of the state’s population to pack up and head out on vacation, here’s what to know about Independence Day in the First State:
Travel
AAA Mid-Atlantic expects 116,000 Delawareans to travel at least 50 miles for the holiday, up 3% from last year, partly because COVID restrictions are virtually nonexistent at Delaware beaches and their restaurants and stores.
More than 90% of travelers will reach their destination by driving, despite gas averaging $4.78 a gallon.
With the help of INRX, a traffic analytics company, AAA Mid-Atlantic says the best times to hit the road are:
If you are anxious about driving around Delaware, you can check road conditions by looking at the Delaware Department of Transportation’s real-time traffic cameras. Find them DelDOT.gov or the DelDOT mobile app.
To help ease traffic at the beaches Monday, July 4, DART Routes 2, 4, 5, 6, 13, 15, 33, 40 and 64 will operate on a Sunday schedule, Route 47 will operate on its Saturday schedule, and DART’s Route 305 Beach Connection and Beach Bus services will operate on a normal schedule.
Their 305 Beach Connection provides transportation between Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through Sept. 5.
Fares are $2 per zone.
The one-way cash fare is $6 from Wilmington and Middletown, $4 from Dover and Frederica.
DelDOT encourages riders to buy a 3-zones daily pass for $10, which can also be used on all beach bus services.
Riders can download the DART Pass mobile app for quick options, and the DART Transit app for alerts about delays, detours and more.
Here’s how AAA Mid-Atlantic sees the weekend playing out, in regard to modes of transportation:
Those parking by the beach will have to pay fares.
In Rehoboth Beach, meters will charge $3 per hour; in Lewes, it’s $2.50 per hour at the beach and $1.50 in the town; Bethany Beach is also $2.50 per hour; and Dewey Beach is $3 per hour.
Weather for July Fourth Weekend
Friday will be a hot one along Delaware’s coastline, with its beach towns nearing 90 degrees on a breezy and sunny day, according to the National Weather Service.
Travelers might need to pack umbrellas if they plan on hitting the beaches Saturday or Sunday.
Saturday’s forecast calls for 88 degree weather, but a 50% chance of rain after 11 a.m. Thunderstorms are more likely to roll in through the afternoon, with a 70% chance of rain after 8 p.m.
Sunday will be wet, but will cool off, with a high of 79 and a 50% chance of rain and thunderstorms after 2 p.m.
The weather on Independence Day on Monday seems to be the best of the weekend, with a high of 85 and mostly sunny skies to bring in the firework celebrations.
Monday evening will be partly cloudy and a cool 70 degrees.
Weekend events
For a listing of fireworks around the state, go here.
Other events include:
- Hockessin Athletic Club, at 100 Fitness Way, will host a 5K for Fireworks run on June 30. Race organizers want to raise $15,000 for the town’s firework display.
- Hockessin Fourth of July Festival includes neighborhood relays in the morning on the Fourth, a parade in the afternoon and fireworks at dusk. The best viewing will be from Swift Park, Piedmont Baseball Fields, Hockessin Library and Artesian Soccer Fields.
- Milton Memorial Park is hosting a festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July Fourth. There will be games, dunk tanks, entertainment, food, water balloon fights, sack races, the bike decorating contest & parade, and other activities.
- Bethany Beach’s holiday celebration starts with a parade at noon July Fourth featuring floats decorated with a “Timeless Bethany” theme. The parade will also feature bands, autos, bicyclists and pedestrians. Evening events include a concert at 7:30 p.m. and the fireworks at dusk.
- Grain on the Rocks, a Lewes Beach restaurant, will have their annual waterfront pig roast. Attendees will be able to watch the Lewes fireworks show from the pier seating or deck seating.
- Bell Bottom Blues will perform at Classic American Golf Club at Lewes Beach from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on July Fourth. Attendance is free.
Jarek Rutz can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz and on LinkedIn.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
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