4th of July fireworks, movies and other top Colorado celebrations

This weekend’s Fourth of July celebrations won’t include getting together with thousands of your Colorado Springs neighbors.

But there will be plenty of fireworks to see. And parades to watch (from your cars). And new traditions to try out.

Having a Fourth of July celebration of any kind has been on Cañon City Mayor Ashley Smith’s “goal list” for a while, she said.

The time seemed right after “all our summer festivals” were canceled.

“There was a big gap for bringing our community together,” Smith said. “As a result, adapting a new way of celebrating seemed like the perfect time to initiate a Fourth of July event.”

They got creative.

The city will throw a “reverse parade” Saturday. Floats will be set up and stay still in Centennial Park and the public is invited to drive through.

“Who knows,” Smith said. “If it goes off well, maybe we will have created a new post-pandemic tradition.”

Organizers of the annual 4th of July Symphony in the Park knew the usual gathering at Memorial Park wouldn’t be possible this year. They pulled the plug on that in April.

Instead, the party has moved to people’s porches.

While the Colorado Springs Philharmonic plays on the radio, fireworks will fill the sky from 10 locations around the Pikes Peak region, from the Patty Jewett Golf Course to Fort Carson.

“We know we can’t have 40,000 or 50,000 people at Memorial Park,” said Aubrey McCoy, the director of operations and marketing for Colorado Springs Sports Corp., which puts on the event. “Our goal now is to reach 500,000 people, for the whole El Paso County region to be part of this.”

The 4th of July Symphony On Your Porch offers ways for people “to collectively come together from the safety of their homes,” McCoy says.

For example, there’s the hashtag #PorchParty. Residents are also encouraged to decorate their porches and participate in photo contests.

“One of the hardest things with all this uncertainty is keeping hope alive and keeping a sense of normalcy and tradition,” McCoy said. “We hope this brings a little bit of that and a little bit of light.”

A day before the countywide show, you can celebrate the Fourth early at the ballpark. Rocky Mountain Vibes is hosting a movie day at UCHealth Park, showing “The Sandlot” and “Independence Day,” followed by fireworks.

The Vibes already had a fireworks display scheduled and paid for, so the team wanted to find a way to keep the show going.

“This is not the way we would’ve normally done it,” president and general manager Chris Phillips said. “But to still be able to celebrate a national holiday in a fun and unique way ... it’s awesome.”

Here’s a look at some of the Fourth of July fireworks shows and events. Due to COVID-19 and fire dangers, all events are subject to change.

Thursday-Saturday

Meeker Range Call: Parade, rodeo and more; meekerrangecall.com.

Friday

Triple Play Holiday: Showing of “The Sandlot” at 4:30 p.m., showing of “Independence Day” at 6:30 p.m. with fireworks at 9 p.m., Rocky Mountain Vibes UCHealth Park, $25. Tickets required; facebook.com/vibesbaseball.

Berthoud July 3 Fireworks Celebration: 9:15 p.m., Waggener Farm. Fireworks will be launched higher into the sky so they can be seen from a greater distance and home viewing; tinyurl.com/yazrssa7.

Friday-Sunday

Winter Park: Front Porch 4th of July; tinyurl.com/y9y5amwh.

Saturday

4th of July Symphony on Your Porch: Colorado Springs, 8:30-10 p.m., Colorado Springs Philharmonic’s annual patriotic concert will be broadcast on local radio stations while fireworks will light up the night sky from various locations. Fireworks also will be streamed live; tinyurl.com/y982elvb.

Brighton Fourth of July Fireworks: At dusk. No gathering, just fireworks in the sky; brightonco.gov/131/brighton-events.

Brush 4th of July Parade: 10 a.m.; tinyurl.com/ya6u9ufs.

Cañon City 4th of July Reverse Car Parade: Stationary floats at Centennial Park. Public can drive through, 10 a.m.-noon, and tune into KLRN 1400 FM for patriotic music; canoncity.org.

Castle Rock Independence Celebration in the Sky: Fireworks starting at 9:30 p.m. It is recommended that residents view fireworks from their homes; crgov.com/2658/fireworks-in-castle-rock.

Cripple Creek 4th of July Fireworks: 9 p.m., Old Homestead House, Cripple Creek. Drive-in style with spectators watching from their cars. Museum open from noon to 4 p.m.; visitcripplecreek.com/event/4th-of-july-fireworks.

Durango 4th of July Fireworks: 9:15 p.m., Greenmount Cemetery; tinyurl.com/yaewoj8l.

Firestone Fireworks: 9:30 p.m., visible from Miner’s Park; firestoneco.gov/133/4th-at-firestone.

Florence: Fireworks to begin at dark; tinyurl.com/ycgx36de.

Greeley Independence Day Fireworks: Start about 9:30 p.m.; greeleystampede.org/p/events/fireworks.

Gunnison Fireworks: 9:30 p.m. Will be using more shells so fireworks can be seen from places throughout the town; tinyurl.com/ycr5btqz.

Larimer County Drive-in Fireworks Show: 9:15 p.m., with gates open for vehicle entry at 7:30 p.m., south entrance of Ranch Events Complex. Participants must remain in or adjacent to their vehicles; cityofloveland.org/government/july-4-2020.

Monument July 4th Virtual Parade: Hosted by the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club; tinyurl.com/yaaovmwv.

Old Colorado City Red, White & Cruise: Residents can decorate their cars and participate in a citywide cruise, starting at 11 a.m., westbound Colorado Avenue at 18th Street; shopoldcoloradocity.com/4th-of-july.

Pagosa Springs: Fireworks at dusk. Fireworks will be launched at high school but can be viewed from almost anywhere downtown; visitpagosasprings.com.

Steamboat Springs: Red White and Blue Drive-Through starting at 10 a.m.; steamboatchamber.com

Windsor: Fireworks at 9:10 p.m. Fireworks should be viewable from residents’ yards. For those who can’t see from their home, residents are asked to disperse into green spaces, along sidewalks and on bike paths, adhering to physical distancing guidelines; tinyurl.com/y7s8n9c9.

Woodland Park: Independence Day Celebration with face painting, bounce houses and more at 3 p.m. with “In God We Trust” musical at 6 p.m. at Charis Bible College, 800 Gospel Truth Way. Register online. charisbiblecollege.org.