Fourth of July celebrations recognizing America’s 250th birthday are planned across Riverside County, beginning Saturday in Menifee and Murrieta.
The city of Menifee’s traditional Independence Day Celebration will be held Saturday in Wheatfield Park, 30627 Menifee Road, starting at 5 p.m. with a parade along La Piedra Road.
“Menifee’s Independence Day Celebration is one of our community’s most anticipated events, and this year is especially meaningful as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday,” Mayor Bill Estrada said. “We invite everyone to join us for an unforgettable night honoring our nation with live entertainment, family fun and fireworks!”
Semiquincentennial festivities include the parade, a large variety of food and crafts vendors, beer garden, a kids’ play zone with inflatable devices and music featuring the 11-piece band Phat Cat Swinger.
On the same day, Murrieta will be combining pre-Independence Day festivities with a 35th Birthday Bash for the municipality, which incorporated in 1991. At 4:30 p.m., a “firefighter hosedown” will feature the deployment of Murrieta Fire & Rescue apparatus’ powerful hoses for water recreation.
At 5 p.m., there will be an outdoor concert by the country band PHT and later Paging the 90s. Food vendors, a kids’ play zone and other entertainment are additionally on the slate, with pyrotechnics after nightfall in California Oaks Sports Park, 40600 California Oaks Road.
The July 4 falls on a Saturday this year, and some municipalities plan to host pyrotechnics spectaculars immediately before and after that date.
On July 2, Coachella is scheduled to host a spectacular after sundown in Bagdouma Park, 51-251 Douma St., while on the same day and around the same time, the city of Perris will host a fireworks display in Morgan Park, 600 E. Morgan St.
On July 3, the Jurupa Area Recreation & Park District will hold its traditional fireworks show after dark in Vernola Family Park, 5211 Wineville Ave.
Also on July 3, from 7-9 p.m., Riverside National Cemetery will host a free Concert for Heroes at the Amphitheater, featuring patriotic music, with a fireworks show after dark over the pond in the middle of the cemetery, located at 22495 Van Buren Blvd.
On July 4, Corona’s traditional Main Street U.S.A. Parade will begin at 9 a.m. at Ontario and Main streets, featuring law enforcement units, fire engines, marching bands, military hardware and show animals. The procession, which typically draws around 4,000 spectators, will travel a mile, concluding at Olive and Main streets around noon. A fireworks show is set for 9 p.m. in Santana Regional Park.
Moreno Valley’s Fourth of July Parade will get underway at 9:30 a.m. at Alessandro Boulevard and Frederick Street, concluding three hours later on Towngate Boulevard. The celebration will resume at 3 p.m. outside the Civic Center Amphitheater on Frederick Street, where a family-friendly event is planned, featuring food vendors and kids’ activities. Fireworks are scheduled after sunset.
At 10 a.m., Temecula’s Star Spangled Parade will proceed, featuring the Temecula Valley Mounted Posse, Veterans of Foreign Wars, members of the American Legion, the Riverside County Fire Department, the Boy Scouts of America and other organizations. The parade will run about two hours northbound along Old Town Front Street. There will be pyrotechnics in Ronald Reagan Sports Park after dark.
In addition to the above venues, fireworks shows are scheduled at the following locations, generally beginning at 9 p.m. on July 4:
— Banning, Nicolet Middle School, 101 E. Nicolet St.;
— Beaumont, Sports Park, Beaumont and Brookside avenues;
— Indio, Empire Polo Grounds, 81-800 51st Ave.;
— Lake Elsinore, Lakepoint Park, 420 Lakeshore Drive, and Sumerly Park, 18505 Malaga Road;
— Palm Desert, Civic Center Park, Fred Waring Drive and San Pablo Avenue;
— Palm Springs, Sunrise Park, 480 S. Sunrise Way;
— Palm Springs Power Baseball Stadium, 1901 Baristo Road;
— Rancho Mirage, Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa, 32-250 Bob Hope Drive;
— Riverside, La Sierra Park, 5215 La Sierra Ave.;
— Riverside, Mount Rubidoux, Mount Rubidoux Drive and Ninth Street;
— San Jacinto, Valley-Wide Regional Park, 901 W. Esplanade Ave.; and
— Temecula, Pechanga Resort Casino, 45000 Pechanga Parkway.
The city of Desert Hot Springs will hold its celebration after dark on July 5 in Mission Springs Park, 14-510 Palm Drive.
In Riverside County, private parties are prohibited from using fireworks except in Blythe, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs and Indio, where so-called “safe and sane” fireworks, certified by the state fire marshal, can be sold to the public.
The devices are mostly the type that don’t explode or fly, including sparklers, ground spinners, fountains, snappers and caps.
Under county Ordinance 858, which was amended by the Board of Supervisors in response to an outbreak of blazes in 2020, fines for illegally storing, transporting or setting off fireworks can range from $1,000 to $5,000.
Any person who triggers a brush fire due to the illegal use of fireworks can be held responsible for all suppression costs.
Despite the potential penalties imposed by the county and cities, fireworks are routinely set off in large numbers by individuals in unincorporated communities and municipalities countywide every Fourth of July.