UPDATED: The Market Square performance by Ladia has been postponed due to the forecasted extreme heat. A new date will be announced by the Fredericksburg Area Museum.
This year’s Fourth of July hits different.
Cooling Area Available
The lobby of Fredericksburg City Center (601 Caroline Street) will be open on July 4 from 8:30am. to 5:30pm. as a cooling area with seating and bottled water available.
America turns 250 — the semiquincentennial, if you want to impress people with a very big word — and the Fredericksburg region, which has more than a little skin in the game when it comes to American history, is marking the occasion in style. Whether you want to run through downtown at dawn, watch rubber ducks race down the Rappahannock, or end the night watching fireworks from your picnic blanket, there is something on this list for you. Here’s how to do the holiday weekend right.
Friday, July 3
Kick off the long weekend at the Allstate Community Theater in downtown Fredericksburg, where Stage Door Productions opens its run of “American Dreamers — A Nation’s 250th Celebration in Music and Variety.” The show is exactly what it sounds like: a musical celebration of 250 years of American independence, with patriotism and history woven through every performance. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m., tickets are $18, and you can grab them here. (There’s also a Sunday matinee if Friday doesn’t work for you — more on that below.)
Saturday, July 4
The day kicks off before most people have finished their coffee. The Fallen Heroes 5 Miler steps off at 7:30 a.m. from the James Monroe High School parking lot, winding through the streets of downtown Fredericksburg. The race benefits the Fredericksburg Fallen Heroes, a local nonprofit supporting veterans and first responders in the community, and it’s part of the Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix series. Each runner runs in honor of a hero. If you haven’t registered yet, you still can — but it’ll cost you $45 on July 3 or 4. (You also missed the free shirt cutoff, but extra shirts are available for $20 at packet pickup and race day.) Packet pickup is Friday, July 3, from 1–6 p.m. at Lucky Road Run Shop, 1865 Carl D. Silver Pkwy. Wear your most patriotic outfit — there are $50 gift cards on the line for best-dressed male and female runners.
Not a runner? The Children’s Roll N’ Stroll is more your speed — literally. Hosted by the Blue Star Mothers of Fredericksburg, this beloved parade rolls down Caroline Street from the VRE lot at Frederick Street all the way to Market Square. Line up by 9:30 a.m. for judging; winners are announced at 9:55, and the procession rolls out at 10 a.m. Decorate your bike, wagon, or stroller and dress the part — there are prizes for best adult and child costumes and best decorated ride. Well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome. Just don’t try to park in the VRE lot, and leave the floats and motors at home.
If you’ve ever wanted to celebrate the Fourth somewhere that George Washington actually slept at, this is your year. A 250th Fourth of July at Ferry Farm runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at George’s boyhood home, 268 George Washington Way, and the program this year is expansive. The day opens with inspiring speeches and a flag retirement ceremony at 11 a.m., followed by performances by the Wil Gravatt Band and Riverside Theater, demonstrations by the Patawomeck Indian Tribe, living history from the Scandalous Women of the Civil War Guild, FACES of the 18th Century, the 23rd United States Colored Troops, and Revolutionary reenactors. You can watch a live archaeological excavation, tour the replica Washington House, and catch historical interpretation by James Ingram of Colonial Williamsburg. Kids can dig for fossils and dinosaurs, play colonial games, and make crafts. Food trucks will be on site. Admission is just $3 per person for ages 3 and up, purchased at the gate. A free shuttle runs from the Eagles Lodge parking lot at 21 Cool Springs Road — on-site parking is reserved for handicap use only. The event is rain or shine; leave the pets, weapons, coolers, and alcohol at home.
Downtown, the Fourth in Fredericksburg Festival fills Riverfront Park (701 Sophia Street) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with live music, children’s activities, food vendors, and an art and craft show along Sophia Street sponsored by Beth Sholom Temple. At noon, the Presentation of the Colors kicks things off officially, followed by a welcome from Mayor Kerry Devine.Â
Also downtown, the Washington Heritage Museums will host live readings of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. Living historians bring this document — and the moment it represented — to life in a way that’s genuinely moving. The readings are free; museum tours are available with an admission ticket.
And then there are the ducks. The FXBG Rubber Ducky Derby returns to Riverfront Park at noon, with 2,000 rubber ducks racing downstream on the Rappahannock River while the crowd cheers them on. Ducks are $5 each, prizes go to the winning duck’s “owner”, and proceeds benefit Friends of the Rappahannock and the City’s FUNd Parks Fund.
Head over to Virginia Credit Union Stadium for the FredNats Patriotic Palooza, which gets going at 4 p.m. and is going bigger than ever this year. The afternoon features bounce houses, yard games, field games, family-friendly vendors, and live music headlined by Virginia Man, with multiple bands performing all afternoon. General admission is $5 per person (plus fees if you buy online); Full and Half Fred Access Members get in free. Parking is $8 per spot, and lots open at 10 a.m. A VIP package includes exclusive access to the climate controlled Total Property Services Club Level, an all-you-can-eat buffet and all-you-can-drink patriotic punch (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available), all for $61.99. Parking is also included. Get tickets here.
The stadium closes at 8 p.m., and then the real finale begins: the fireworks show, presented by F.H. Furr and the City of Fredericksburg, starts at 9 p.m. Viewing is from your car, so plan to be in position well before showtime — parking is limited. If you’re on Gordon W. Shelton, park at a 45-degree angle; on Carl D. Silver Pkwy, parallel park in the far right lane only, not the through lanes.
Prefer your fireworks with more elbow room? Head across the river to Stafford County’s 4th of July Spectacular at John Lee Pratt Memorial Park, where gates open at 6 p.m. The Fredericksburg Concert Band takes the Celebration Stage from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Imagine Circus stilt walkers roam the grounds juggling and twisting balloons all evening, and a full spread of yard games — cornhole, Connect 4, gaga ball, giant Jenga, Spikeball, Bankshot Basketball, and more — keeps everyone busy until the fireworks launch at 9:15 p.m. The show is also viewable from Old Mill Park, where city and Stafford residents get in free with proof of residency; non-residents pay $10 per car or $5 to walk in. Once the park hits capacity, the gates close to vehicles, so arrive early. Bring lawn chairs. No alcohol, tents, sparklers, or grills; dogs must be on a leash.
Sunday, July 5
Ease into the end of the weekend with the Sunday matinee of “American Dreamers” at the Allstate Community Theater, 810 Caroline Street. Stage Door Productions’ celebration of America’s 250th starts at 2:30 p.m. — a perfect way to close out the holiday on a high note. Tickets are $18.
However you spend the weekend, you’re celebrating in one of the most historically significant corners of the country. That’s worth a toast — or at least a rubber duck.
