Kansas City celebrates Independence Day with a bang! Read carefully... our guide includes both events with and without fireworks.
Always Remember:
Weather may result in some events changing plans. Please watch websites and Facebook notices CLOSELY before taking your kids to a fireworks display as schedules are subject to change. We will do our best to update this page, but all schedules are weather permitting.
Note: This list was compiled by KC Parent Magazine Staff and may not be copied in print or online without permission from KC Parent Magazine. If you know of a great 4th of July event to add to our list, email kristina@kcparent.com.
Tip: Click on the event title for a link to the event website - this may include driving directions, full schedules and additional tips!
Kansas City's Patriotic Celebrations:
Taps at the Tower June 21 - 27 nightly at 8:45 pm at National World War I Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, MO. Taps, a musical piece sounded at dusk and at funerals, has a rich and storied history in the United States. It has long been associated with the U.S. Military, and is often played at civilian events around the country. The National WWI Museum and Memorial presents the seventh annual Taps at the Tower each evening at sunset (8:45 p.m.) from Sunday, June 21 – Saturday, June 27, 2020. Taps at the Tower links the beauty and simplicity of the Taps bugle call with the symbolism of the Liberty Memorial. People are invited to come and use the grounds each evening, have a picnic, play games and enjoy the outdoors. At sunset, people will gather at the Liberty Memorial Tower to experience Taps being played during a brief, moving ceremony. The event will occur rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved to the Paul Sunderland Bridge inside the Museum and Memorial. The National WWI Museum and Memorial is a civic pillar in Kansas City, and is a point of pride to the people in the region. Rising from patriotic and citizen initiative, the Memorial is a gathering place for ceremonies and memorials that honor those who served the nation.
Freedom Run: Virtual July 1- 4, Old Town Lenexa, Santa Fe Trail Drive & Pflumm Road, Lenexa, KS. Celebrate Independence Day with the 5K or 10K Virtual Freedom Run. Run or walk from any location you choose. You get to run your own race, at your own pace, and time it yourself. REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL FREEDOM RUN: https://runsignup.com/Race/KS/Lenexa/LenexaFreedomRun
Virtual Community Days Parade: Lenexa July 1-4 at Old Town Lenexa, Santa Fe Trail Drive & Pflumm Road, Lenexa, KS. NEW! Celebrate our country’s independence by participating in Lenexa’s annual hometown tradition with a new twist! Since we cannot gather in large crowds as a community quite yet, we’ve created a new way to celebrate Independence Day — the Lenexa Community Days Porch Parade — and we want you to be part of it. Learn more here.
Fourth of July Celebration at Worlds of Fun July 4 at Worlds Of Fun, 4545 Worlds of Fun Avenue, Kansas City, MO. If America’s founding fathers had chosen a spot to kick up their heels after signing the Declaration of Independence, we’re sure it would have been Worlds of Fun. How do we know? Worlds of Fun is the area’s only venue offering world-class AMAZING for an Independence Day celebration that everyone will enjoy and remember for years to come. Help us celebrate the founding of the good ole US of A with fanfare to delight and entertain everyone. Join us for a full day of 4th of July activities, including thrill rides, splashtastic waves at Oceans of Fun, giggles at Planet Snoopy and much more. Our Celebrate America Fireworks show sets the night sky ablaze in one of the Kansas City’s most impressive displays of patriotic fanfare. Enjoy the enthralling radiant bursts and brilliant shimmers complemented by an all-American soundtrack. It’s an AMAZING 4th of July event that’s sure to knock your sparklers off!
Gladstone Fireworks July 4 from 7-10 pm at Oak Grove Park, 7656 N Troost Ave, Gladstone, MO. Enjoy your 4th of July celebration at the amphitheater in Oak Grove Park! Live music begins at 7:00pm followed by the North Star Community Band with the presentation of colors and enjoy the Fireworks display at dusk!
Village Fest To-Go July 4 at 77th and Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS. VillageFest 2020 will be a to-go event. Drive Through Event: Decorate your car and parade through the municipal campus. See police and public work vehicles from your windows. Receive a bag of goodies for each child in the vehicle over the age of 2. Remain in your vehicle. Social Media Festivities: Sidewalk Art Contest - decorate your sidewalk, take a picture and send it to us. Then vote for your favorites on Facebook. Photo Contest - Submit your best photo that captures the Spirit of Prairie Village. Then vote for your favorites on Facebook.
Stilwell 4th of July Parade & Fireworks July 4 at 193rd and Metcalf, Stilwell, KS. Stilwell is having a 4th of July Parade and Fireworks on Saturday, July 4, 2020. 5pm - Parade: Registration and Line Up (192nd Street). Decorate your bike, golf cart, build a float and register to be in the parade. Anyone can REGISTER TO BE PART OF THE PARADE. 6pm - Stilwell Community Parade: Parade Route in Stilwell (192nd Street; South on Metcalf; East on 199th; North on Broadway; East on Delaware) - Judges Stand will be across from near Stilwell Elementary School. At the end of the parade, participants will continue to travel south to 199th street and head east or turn left and head north (gravel road) and return to the beginning of the parade route. Theme: Remember Why its the 4th of July We are working towards having a 21 Gun Salute done with fireworks during this year's fireworks display played alongside the song Taps. 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Fourth of July at Evergy (formerly KCPL) (199th and Highway 69): MUSIC - Live DJ-Festy Music provided by Jeff Ponder. 9:00 pm - 199th Street ROAD CLOSURE between HWY 69 and Metcalf Avenue to allow those attending to enjoy the firework display without traffic or headlights. For everyone who parks along 199th Street between HWY 69 and Metcalf to watch the firework display can do so without traffic driving in front of you during the fireworks display. Don't forget to donate as a way of staying Thank You Stilwell Community Organization! - Text STILWELL to 913-305-4344. NOTE: Following the fireworks, 199th Street between Metcalf and Highway 69 will be two lane west bound traffic flow. Those attending will be unable to turn out of KCPL and head east as well as those parked along 199th Street for the display will be forced to head west to the freeway when departing. We hope you can join us this 4th of July and if you do, please DO NOT BRING YOUR FIREWORKS TO THE FIREWORKS DISPLAY IN STILWELL. Additional patrol by our Sheriff's office will ensure a safe time for everyone. Stay safe and do not plan to discharge fireworks along 199th Street, Metcalf Avenue or anywhere in the area. We have a great display again this year for you at 9:30pm. 9:30pm - Fireworks Display (depending on weather fireworks can launch as early as 9:00pm but will not launch after 10:00pm): Fireworks will launch from the KCP&L Service Center located at 19950 Newton Street (69 Highway and 199th Street) in Stilwell, Kansas 66085. Depending on weather conditions the firework display may launch as early as 9:00pm but not later than 10:00pm.
CANCELED: Overland Park Star Spangled Spectacular Overland Park’s Star Spangled Spectacular will not be held on July 4 as originally planned. The annual event at Corporate Woods Founders’ Park, which typically draws crowds from across the metro and includes a festival and fireworks show, is canceled. This year’s event was scheduled to be a fireworks-only celebration beginning at 9:45 p.m. Guests were encouraged to remain distant at the park while viewing the show. However, a recent increase in coronavirus cases in Johnson County and the State of Kansas created an additional public health risk, prompting the cancelation of the show. Next year’s Star Spangled Spectacular will take place on Sunday, July 4, 2021.
Olathe Fireworks July 4 starting at 9:45 pm at the College Boulevard Activity Center, 11031 S Valley Road, Olathe, KS. Enjoy the annual City of Olathe Fireworks Show at the College Boulevard Activity Center (CBAC), 11031 S. Valley Parkway, at dusk (around 9:45 p.m.) on Saturday, July 4. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early and be prepared for high traffic volumes.
4th of July Celebration in Weston, MO July 4 at Historic Main Street District, Weston, MO. Enjoy a hometown parade, games, kids activities, pie baking contest, cornHULL tournament, family events raffle, Weston merchants basket auction, McCormick on Main street dance. Fireworks presented by Weston Masonic Lodge will conclude the evening beginning at 9:45 pm. Bring your blanket or chairs and watch the sky light up. Have fun this July 4th in Weston with old fashion patriotic spirit
4th of July Celebration: Gardner, KS July 4 at Celebration Park, 32501 W. 159th St., Gardner, KS. The City of Gardner has made the difficult decision to cancel the non-fireworks portion of our annual Independence Day Celebration, scheduled for July 4. Due to the uncertainty associated with the pandemic and the lifting of restrictions on public gatherings, the city had to initiate discussions with our vendors and scheduled talent several weeks ago regarding the various planning and financial considerations associated with this event. Unfortunately, the only responsible course of action for the city and our partners is to cancel the "festival" portion of the celebration. However, we are still planning to have a fantastic fireworks display to celebrate America's freedom. You are invited to enjoy Fireworks at 10pm at Celebration Park.
Smithville Lake Fireworks July 4 at Smithville Lake, Smithville, MO. 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Fireworks Display to Honor Our Great Nation at Smithville Lake Dam, Missouri Highway DD and Litton Way. Event sponsored by the City of Smithville and Clay County, join us out at the lake for a spectacular fireworks show at dark! Festivities at north end of the Smithville Dam. View at the marina, by boat, or at Smith’s Fork Park.
Note: This list was compiled by KC Parent Magazine Staff and may not be copied in print or online without permission from KC Parent Magazine. If you know of a great 4th of July event to add to our list, email kristina@kcparent.com.