Independence Day 2026 — get ready to celebrate

BLOUNTVILLE The Blountville Ruritan Club will hold a parade on July 4 at 2 p.m. It will begin at Oak Street and end at the old Sullivan County Courthouse. BOONE LAKE The annual fireworks show at Boone Lake will take place July 4 at Friday's Holler. Entertainment will begin at 7 p.m., and the fireworks show will begin at 9:45 p.m. This year's entertainment will consist of performances by local bands Jimmie D Blues Band and Slappy Hines. The event is free. BRISTOL Symphony of the Mountains will perform a Virginia 250-themed concert on Friday, July 3, in Cumberland Square Park. There will be food trucks and yard games from 5 to 7 p.m. The free musical performance will be at 7:30 p.m. In Bristol, Tennessee, there will be a parade on July 4 from 5 to 6 p.m. The route goes from Regions Bank to the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. intersection. ELIZABETHTON The Elizabethton Independence Day celebration will include a patriotic parade down East Elk Avenue. The parade will feature patriotic performers, floats honoring veterans' groups and local heroes and will follow the same route as the annual Christmas Parade down East Elk Avenue, and finish up at the monument. The celebration will begin at 4 p.m. with the Little Miss Firecracker Pageant. The patriotic parade will start at 6 p.m. Music from Sail On, a Beach Boys tribute band, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Covered Bridge Park. A fireworks show will start around 9:30 p.m. There will be a variety of food trucks on site. Everyone is encouraged to bring a blanket or a chair. ERWIN The Unicoi County Family YMCA will host a Fourth of July Bash from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Erwin's Fishery Pool. Admission is $5 per person, with children 4 and under admitted free. The event will feature food, games and live country music. Attendance is limited to 100 people, and advance reservations are required. Visit ucfymca.org/programs to register. GATE CITY Gate City will offer a full day of activities on Friday, July 3, at Legion Field. At 8 a.m., there will be a 5K and tournaments for pickleball, cornhole and three-on-three basketball. At 11 a.m., an opening ceremony will honor veterans and America250. Music, vendors, kids activities, food trucks and more will follow until 4 p.m. A ticketed concert featuring Carson Peters and Iron Mountain, Dave Eggar and Bristol Lightning, and Folk Soul Revival, will begin at 6 p.m. A 10 p.m. fireworks show will end the night. JOHNSON CITY Johnson City's annual Independence Day celebration at Freedom Hall Civic Center will offer an evening full of fun. Shenandoah is the musical headliner, and the free event will also feature food trucks, vendor booths and activities. Music begins at 6 p.m., prize drawings will be held at 9:40 p.m., and the fireworks show will begin at 10:05 p.m. In addition to Shenandoah, other featured musical acts are Noah Spencer and Carson Peters & Iron Mountain. Food trucks will open at at 3 p.m. A kids' zone with a touch-a-truck activity will open at 4 p.m., along with vendor booths. A beer garden will also be available at the pool side of the Freedom Hall building from 4-9:55 p.m. Johnson City will provide free transit service from the Target parking lot on North Roan Street to Freedom Hall. The event doesn't allow pets or outside alcohol. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. Pop-up tents or canopies are not permitted. JONESBOROUGH Jonesborough Days will be held July 3 and 4 throughout town featuring a parade, vendors, live music, watermelon social, and plenty of activities for the kids including carnival games, bouncy houses and inflatables. Fireworks will begin at 10 p.m. on July 4. KINGSPORT Kingsport will host its fifth annual Red, White and Boom Independence Day celebration July 4 beginning at 5 p.m. featuring food trucks, fireworks, live music and more along Main Street and in Centennial Park. This year's celebration will debut a hot dog eating contest and a kids' watermelon eating contest. Rock band Grand Funk Railroad will headline the free concert. They'll be joined by the Nashville Yacht Club Band, which plays pop and R&B music from the 1970s and '80s. Fireworks will begin around 9:45 p.m. MOUNT CARMEL Mount Carmel's Independence Day celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m. along the town's main street. There will be food trucks, mechanical bull rides, bounce houses, and live music from local bands The Blues Drivers and Gents and Liars. A fireworks show will conclude the festivities. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. ROCKY MOUNT STATE HISTORIC SITE The Rocky Mount Colonial Independence Celebration will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 4. The event will feature costumed interpreters, living history demonstrations, a Constitution reading, Colonial gardening, crafts and traditional food. ROGERSVILLE Rogersville will host July 4 activities throughout the day starting with the Firecracker Boom and Zoom 5K Road Race at 8 a.m. A parade will begin downtown at 11 a.m. The parade will start at the East Rogersville Baptist Church parking lot and will go west down Main Street. Festivities continue in Rogersville City Park that afternoon with food trucks, bounce houses and the return of live music from local band Pretty Penny, Smith Creek and Ivy Road, Hooch, and headliner Odds and Ends. Fireworks begin at 10 p.m. UNICOI The town of Unicoi will host Freedom Fest starting at 5 p.m. on July 4. This free event will offer live music, food, and a fireworks display at 9:45 p.m. Musical artists include the Ryder Casey Band, Stone Fire Band and Project Allman, an Asheville-based Allman Brothers tribute band. WATAUGA LAKE The annual Watauga Lake Boat Parade will start at 12:30 p.m. on July 4. The parade runs from Watauga Dam, past the Watauga Point Recreation Area and ends at the Butler Bridge. Participants must meet no later than 12 p.m. for judging. Recreation areas along the route often fill up with spectators well in advance. The boat parade is presented by Watauga Lakeshore Resort and Marina, which will have events running the entire weekend. Live music, a fun zone with inflatables, games and activities plus a vendor market takes place July 3-5. Fireworks over the water begins July 4 at 9:30 p.m., followed by a movie night.