2018 Guide to Fourth of July Fireworks and Activities

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The Fourth of July is one of those minimum-stress, maximum-fun holidays.

No gifts. No planning. 

Just pack the family into the car for a day of fun at one of the dozens of great celebrations in and around Colorado Springs. 

We have put together a list of local events for you. We have done our best to provide accurate information, but please click on the web sites below before heading out to make sure nothing has changed.

How to use this guide :: Simply click on the + next to each event to expand the details. Each event has a website link to even more information!

BEFORE THE FOURTH OF JULY

Enjoy the Summertime Ice Cream Social & Pie Baking Contest. Members of the community compete in the pie baking contest and enjoy scoops of homemade ice cream. From 5:30-8 p.m. Neighbors, friends, and guests can enjoy their homemade desserts and socialize.
When: July 2, 2018
Where: Soda Springs Park
Cost: One slice of pie for $2.00, a scoop of ice cream for $1.00

Celebrate America’s independence a day early with Fun Before the Fourth, an evening of games, activities, crafts, and face painting! There will be education and exploration of the outdoors featuring the trivia wheel and discovery boxes from 5-8 p.m. Food trucks will be onsite. Fort Carson fireworks can be enjoyed after the park event and will begin around 9:30 p.m. All park activities will be held at the Prairie Skipper picnic pavilion.

The Cripple Creek Fourth of July Celebration will feature live entertainment starting around noon on July 1 in the The Brass Ass parking lot. Food vendors and a beer garden will be available. Many casinos will also offer special promotions for the holiday. Fireworks about 9:30 p.m. Corner of Bennett Avenue and 3rd Street, Cripple Creek.

Meridian Ranch and Antler Creek Golf Course have teamed up again to kick off the 13th annual Falcon Freedom Days on Saturday, June 30th, 2018 with music, food, fun family activities and the best fireworks show in Colorado. Bring your chairs, blankets, family, friends and kids to this FREE celebration.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Penrose-St. Francis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Schedule of Events:
10:00am Hike, Bike & Stroll Parade
5:00pm DJ, Booths & Bounce Houses Open
5:30pm Hot Dog Eating Contest
6:00pm Live Music Begins
9:30pm Fireworks Begin

Antler Creek Golf Course, 9650 Antler Creek Drive, Falcon.

Freedom Fest has been extended to three days this year! Head down to Fort Carson’s Iron Horse Park from June 29-July 1 from 3-11:30 p.m. to enjoy a huge lineup of fun for the whole family: Live music, carnival rides, a car show, bounce houses, a 5K run and a sand volleyball tournament. Bring a picnic or visit the food and beverage vendors. On July 1, the 1812 Overture will begin at 9:15, followed by the fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. (fire-ban permitting). 6751 Sheridan Ave.

Head over to America the Beautiful Park on June 20-July 1 to see national and local artists display and sell their fine art in categories that include painting, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, wearable art, leather, painting and more. Something for everyone! The Music Stage rocks all weekend with stellar performances by HAZEL MILLER BAND, Ponder The Albatross, Scarecrow Revival, Band On The Fence, Doc & Kit, Flute Daddy, and Tullis Blues.

The free Creative Station will delight kids of all ages with quality art projects to take home. And watch amazing aerialists on silks. Free admission/parking. Lawn chairs, coolers, leashed pets welcome. City park rules apply. June 30 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and July 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission. 126 Cimino Dr.

Take a ride on the gondola and enjoy the rest of the long weekend’s events. On July 1, Pam Tillis and John Michael Montgomery will take the stage at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively. On July 4, the group Potcheen will play on the Bridgeview Bandstand from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Near the Visitor Center will be free face painting. Try the Royal Rush Skycoaster or the Royal Gorge Cloudscraper zipline. 4128 Fremont County Rd. 3A, Canon City.

ON THE FOURTH OF JULY

Bring your own flag to start your Fourth of July with a little adventure and a lot of patriotism. Adventures out West will host a flag flying festival at Pikes Peak Ziplines. 8:30-10 a.m. 1335 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs. Call for more information. 719-578-0935

Looking for a short getaway? Cumbres & Toltec offers a special 4th of July train ride with dinner and a fireworks display. Seating is limited so reservations are highly recommended. Parlor, $205.75 per adult. Deluxe tourist, $165.75 per adult, $79.75 per child. Coach, $104.75 per adult, $49.75 per child. Train departs from Chama at 5 pm, arrives at Cumbres Station and arrives back at Chama at 10 pm. 500 Terrace Avenue, Chama, NM 87520 (about four hours from Colorado Springs). 888-286-2737.

The Dinosaur Resource Center is offering active duty and retired military personnel half price admission on July 4th. 9 am to 6 pm. 201 S. Fairview St. Woodland Park.

Visitors have an opportunity on July 4 to walk through the reenactment of revolutionary war camp, hear General William Jackson Palmer read the Declaration of Independence, play carnival games and more. Tickets are available for carnival games for a nominal fee. Starts at 10 am. Adults, $8. Kids 5 and under are free. Kids 6-17, military and seniors are $5. 

The Colorado Springs Sky Sox baseball team will play the New Orleans Baby Cakes at 7 p.m. on July 4th. The first 1,000 fans will receive a free mini American flag. Fireworks will follow the game. 4385 Tutt Blvd.

The Colorado Springs Philharmonic summer symphony at Memorial Park is a free family event. The region’s largest event will feature Wild Blue Country from the Air Force Academy, amazing food, and fireworks. Get there early to claim a prime spot. Picnics are welcome and a variety of food will be available for sale, as well. Activities and concessions begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Philharmonic at 7:30 p.m. and fireworks at dusk, about 9 p.m. 1605 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Colorado Springs.

Pancake breakfast at 7 am at St. Peter Catholic Church. A 4-mile Fun Run begins at 7 am at the Palmer Lake Santa Fe Trailhead and ends in Monument. The children’s parade begins at 9:30 am, the main parade at 10 am. A street fair runs from 8 am to 3 pm. in downtown Monument. There will also be a family-friendly beer garden with musicians in Limbach Park from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm. Monument Community Presbyterian Church will have a kid zone & car show from 8 am – 1:30 pm. Fuel Church will host a kid zone at the south end of Limbach park from 10 am – 4 pm. NOTICE: SPECTATORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO COME EARLY. Park at Palmer Ridge or Lewis Palmer High Schools and ride the bus to and from Downtown Monument. Inbound Shuttles 7am – 9:30am | Outbound Shuttles 11am – 3:30pm

Join the Ute Pass Historical Society & Pikes Peak Museum on July 4th at the Woodland Park Cemetery for our Annual Cemetery Crawl. Guided tours run from 1 to 3, and start every 15 minutes. Cost is $5 at the gate. Visit with some of the pioneers who are resting there. For more information, please call UPHS at: 719.686.7512 or check our website: utepasshistoricalsociety.org.

AFTER THE FOURTH

The Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection District will hold its annual open house at Fire Station No. 1 on July 14 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Come out and meet your local firefighters, have some food and check out the many displays. A Flight for Life helicopter will land at the station. Firewise displays will be available, as will a special live demonstration. 11445 Teachout Road. They will also be hosting the “Stop the Bleed” program sponsored by UCHealth Memorial Hospital. The program runs approximately 60 min. If you would like to sign-up prior to the event, use the link provided below or call 444-CARES.
https://www.uchealth.org/events/events/stopthebleedblackforestfire/

 

Want to celebrate, but avoid the crowds? Wait a day and listen to the Colorado Springs Philharmonic in the annual Symphony Above the Clouds in Woodland Park on July 5. The concert will feature patriotic music and tunes from the American songbook. Fireworks at dusk, about 9 p.m. Free. Woodland Park Middle School, 600 East Kelley’s Road, Woodland Park. Gates open at 5 pm, with music starting at 5:30 pm.

If you have updates or corrections to this list, please feel free to comment below. And if you know of other events around the Pikes Peak region, please share those, too!

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