The 4th of July on Cape Cod kicks off the summer season, and there isn’t any other place we would rather celebrate! You can watch parades and fireworks all week long or spend the day with friends and family celebrating on the beach well after sunset. Here is our guide to the Independence Day fireworks with travel tips to avoid the holiday traffic.
4th of July on cape cod
SATURDAY JULY 2
Chatham: Street festival at Center Street 5-6:45 PM with food, music, and vendors; Parade on Main Street at 7 PM; Fireworks around 9 PM at Veterans Field
MONDAY, July 4
Sandwich: 5K Road Race at 9 AM; Fireworks Display at Shawme Pond starting 9:30 PM
Falmouth: Falmouth Heights Beach at dusk
Provincetown: Display at Ptown Harbor at dusk; whale-watch cruise
Plymouth: Plymouth Harbor at 9:15 PM
Hyannis: Hyannis Harbor Boat Parade at 2 PM
Travel Tips
There is usually a TON of traffic 4th of July on Cape Cod and throughout the week leading up to the holiday. If you are renting a home, most rentals are Saturday to Saturday. We recommend requesting to stay through Sunday or leave on July 4th as these are the best travel days.
Since traffic gets busy throughout the holiday weekend, be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to your destinations. That may mean waking up bright and early on the 4th to head to the Cape for a 10am parade start time!
Visit our Cape Cod Vacation services page to see how we can help make your 4th of July celebration a success. Happy July 4th and stay safe!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.