City of Alachua invites everyone to its Independence Day celebration
Press release from the City of Alachua
ALACHUA, Fla. – The City of Alachua invites its citizens and those who neighbor Alachua, Florida, to join in the celebration of Independence Day at the “Largest Small-Town Fireworks Display in America.” The City’s annual Fourth of July Celebration will be held on Friday, July 4, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m., at Legacy Park (15400 Peggy Rd., Alachua, Florida 32615).
The celebration has a fantastic lineup of entertainment and food. The gates at Legacy Park will open at 5:00 p.m., and live music from Crooked Counsel, ranging from a variety of hit songs from the 60s to today, will commence at 6:00 p.m. And most importantly, the “Largest Small- Town Fireworks Display in America” celebration will start promptly at 9:30 p.m.
Parking for this event is FREE. The City of Alachua does want to remind patrons that personal fireworks are prohibited; pets, glass containers, and smoking (e.g., cigarettes, vapes, etc.) are not permitted as well.
Parking information
General parking opens at 5:00 PM.
- Parking is limited to first come, first served.
- Access parking from Peggy Road (County Road 2054).
- Use County Road 235A or NW 140th Street to access Peggy Road.
- We will have a one-way-in and one-way-out system implemented. Please pay attention to the parking staff and posted signs.
- If you have issues with your vehicle after the show, please contact parking staff or an officer for assistance.
- PLEASE take your time and drive with caution, as we will have a large amount of pedestrian traffic.
Additional information
𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲:
- 5:00 PM – Gates Open / Music Begins
- 6:00 PM – Live Music Performance
- 9:22 PM – Mayor Honors Our Veterans
- 9:27 PM – National Anthem
- 9:30 PM – Fireworks Display
- 10:00 PM – Event Concludes / Safe Travels Home
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀:
The following items are not permitted on event grounds:
- Tents or canopies on the main field
- Alcohol
- Grills or open flames
- Glass bottles
- Drones
- Smoking, tobacco, or vaping
- Illegal substances
- Laser pointers
- Radios or P.A. systems
- Animals (except service animals)
- Golf carts, ATVs, or motor vehicles
- 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱
𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀:
Guests are welcome to bring the following:
- Chairs
- Blankets
- Non-alcoholic beverages
- Outside food
- Coolers
- Family and friends
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I believe city manager Mike DaRoza. He claims the city does not have the money to live stream city commission meetings. But the city has $50,000 to blow on fireworks. Party time is more important than government transparency. Rehire most excellent city manager DaRoza and give him a big raise.
Everybody loves the July 4th Celebration but have you been to downtown Alachua lately? Does it look dead…dead…dead? Did you know the Gym, Cardinal’s Nest, Mother Lode have all closed?
A. Impossible. Downtown died in 1978 after the Copeland plant closed and no locals had any money. In 1984 Alachua created a Community Redevelompent Area (CRA) citing a need to reduce the “blight” of the area. They get extra tax money to spend on the area. In 40 years they have spent MILLIONS to reduce the “blight” in downtown. If they did their job, there is no more blight and downtown is thriving, so you must be wrong.
B. Or else downtown has been permanently dead for 45 years and will never recover and all the CRA money has been a total waste. City hall wastes huge staff time on the foolish delusional idea that downtown can ever be restored to its glory days of 1965. The “Get Drunk with Mayor Mustachio Thursday Street Parties while Roasting on Hot Pavement” were a colossal failure.
I vote for B.
Looking for who killed Alacha Downtown and most other American small towns? The automobile, interstate highways, sprawl, big box stores, and Amazon.Some have found revival through selling their picturest quaintness, but a mainstay of that formula – antiques – is out of fashion with younger generations and once very busy Micanopy is now on the ropes. No ones fault, just technological change which usually brings both good and bad but always change.
Some small towns I’ve seen out west are doing OK – like California – and there it seems the combination of longer distances to the big boxes as well as more agreeable climates for walking around and outdoor cafes, but unless a popular niche market is developed that sticks, our small towns continue to struggle. I remember shopping in Alachua at Hitchcocks and Farmer’s Hardware – Mr McElroy with “Sharper” – and the other hardware across the street – I can picture the woman who ran it and lived in that yellow Victorian 1 block west, but don’t remember her name – but there were still farmers in the area then and you bought fencing there, not Tractor Supply.
Seems like the fireworks started a few months early in Alachua this year…
These fireworks confuse me. One year recently the city announced that half the audience were from out of town. Alachua HATES out of towners. Always have. Why do they spend so much money to entertain them?