Mark the 4th of July in America’s Finest City
San Diego will be observing the 243rd birthday of the old Stars and Stripes with plenty of revelry and skyrocketing flair, and you can enjoy the festivities to the fullest with a guest room here at the Sofia Hotel on West Broadway!
Here’s a quick survey of some of the more notable Independence Day celebrations going on in and around America’s Finest City.
Fireworks Over the Water: Big Bay Boom 2019
The 4th of July in San Diego each year comes marked by the very biggest fireworks display in all of Southern California: the aptly named Big Bay Boom.
Beginning at 9 PM, fireworks will launch from a fleet of four barges arrayed around San Diego Bay. While some watch the show from boats on the water, there’s also fantastic shoreline viewing at multiple locations, including the North and South Embarcadero and Seaport Village waterfronts within very easy reach of the Sofia Hotel.
An Old-School Independence Day in Old Town San Diego
Another 4th of July tradition in America’s Finest City is the free Independence Day gala at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. In keeping with the site’s heritage significance and interpretive mission, this holiday fete takes the form of a throwback 1800s-style 4th of July festival, with period games (cherry-pit spitting, cow-chip throwing, etc.), costumes, live music, and dance. The event comes anchored by the 11 AM opening ceremony with its brass fanfare and speechmaking as well as a parade around the plaza.
Fireworks at the Fair
Alongside the Big Bay Boom, one of the most impressive pyrotechnics displays in our neck of the woods goes down during the Fireworks Spectacular at the San Diego County Fair on the Fourth. Beginning about 9 PM, the west end of the racetrack at the Del Mar Fairgrounds erupts with the better part of 4,000 fireworks, culminating in a Grand Finale boasting some 500 big-finish shells. There’s all the more energy on hand for the Independence Day blowout given it marks the last day of the Fair, which kicked off on May 31st.
Island Fireworks on Coronado
Also just a hop, skip, and a jump from your Downtown San Diego accommodations at the Sofia Hotel, Coronado offers its own hearty 4th of July traditions, including an Orange Avenue parade beginning at 10 AM, the morning 12K and 5K of the Crown City Classic, a Spreckels Park concert at 4 PM, and—yes—the island’s own fireworks flurry at 9 PM.
Other San Diego Area 4th of July Celebrations
There’s plenty of other festivities scheduled for the 4th of July throughout San Diego County, including fireworks displays at both LEGOLAND California and SeaWorld San Diego as well as celebrations all the way from Oceanside in the north (host to a 10 AM Independence Day Parade) to San Ysidro in the south (where the Independence Day at the Border event runs from 3 to 9 PM). You can take a look at a more complete list of events all around the county right here.
We invite you to call the Sofia Hotel home for a 4th of July getaway in San Diego, where you’ll be close by some of the biggest and best fireworks displays on the West Coast—and where you’ll enjoy premium boutique hospitality in America’s Finest City throughout!