A Bang-Up Good Time

The Fourth of July is all about the bombs bursting in air and the stars and stripes forever, but it’s also about family and community and eating watermelon. Get your patriotism on a night early at the annual Independence Eve celebration in Civic Center Park, a party with fireworks that’s not only free, but promises something for everyone, from toddlers right on up to Grandma and Grandpa. All that’s required are a blanket or low-rise lawn chair and a picnic (food trucks will also be parked on site for another edible option), and maybe a few hundred of your closest family and friends.

“For the fifth year in a row, Civic Center Park will be Denver’s place to celebrate country, community and culture,” says Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, head of the Civic Center Conservancy. “We are thrilled that Independence Eve has become a treasured community tradition rooted in Denver’s first and only National Historic Landmark.”

This year’s event will start at 8 p.m. with warm-up sets from the MIX a cappella group and the Hazel Miller Band, followed by the Denver Municipal Band’s mixture of patriotic favorites and a pastiche of pop tunes through history, by artists from the Andrews Sisters to Pharrell Williams. And it all wraps up with a fabulous light show and fireworks display over the City and County Building after dark, courtesy of Anadarko. Come early to settle at the park, located at Colfax Avenue and Broadway; visit civiccenterconservancy.org for more information.

Thu., July 3, 8 p.m., 2014