💥 Your No-Fail Guide to a Firework-Filled Fourth

Because nothing says independence like Laser Beams and Lambos.

In this email:

4Th Of July America GIF by Death Wish Coffee

🚨 How it feels to defend your playlist from one more Luke Bryan request.

👋 Happy 4th !

Look, we could pretend this is a chill week—but let’s be honest, it’s America’s birthday, and Southwest Florida is going all out.

Whether you're into tailgating with tacos, watching fireworks from a kayak, or nerding out with a laser show in a planetarium, this week has something for literally every flavor of patriot.

And we rounded up the very best spots to eat, play, and ooh-aah your way through it.

From Lambos at the lake to bounce houses in the stadium, baseball under the stars to fireworks on the beach — here’s where to show up, chow down, and celebrate freedom in the most Florida way possible (sunscreen highly recommended).

Let’s light this candle! 🧨

🌮 Food Trucks, Fireworks, & Funnel Cake Feelings

Eat Clifton Hill GIF by Clifton Hill Fun, Niagara Falls

🧁 When the funnel cake slaps harder than the fireworks.

  • 🍓 Me: “I’ll just have a bite.”
    Also me: [see image]

Skip the kitchen and head to The Mall at UTC for the Red White & Food Truck Festival on Thursday, July 3 for an early start to the fireworks funtailgate-style. This FREE festival is parked right where the action is, and yes, it’s basically a cheat code for watching the Nathan Benderson Park fireworks without the traffic headache.

🗓️ Thursday, July 3 | 4–9PM
📍 Mall at University Town Center, Parking Lot 4 (East Side/Main Entrance)
🎟️ Free Entry + Free Parking
🍔 20+ food trucks, trailers & pop-ups

What to Expect:

  • Street food from all over the map (bring napkins)

  • Chill vibes, lawn chairs, and a prime fireworks view

  • Local eats, cool treats, and zero admission fee

Grab a taco, snag a spot, and call it your most low-effort, high-reward Fourth of July kickoff yet.

🎆 Fireworks Just Got Horsepower

Leonardo Dicaprio GIF

💥 Boom boom, vroom vroom.

This isn’t your average fireworks show. NBP Fireworks on the Lake is pulling up July 3 with lakefront explosions, food trucks, live music, and… Lamborghinis. Yes, really. Sarasota doesn’t mess around.

🗓️ Thursday, July 3 | 5–10PM
📍 Nathan Benderson Park | 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle
🎟️ General Admission: Free | VIP: $130 Adults / $80 Kids
🚗 Parking: $40–$70 depending on the lot

Expect:

  • Live tunes by Twinkle & Rock Soul Radio

  • Kid zone by MOTE Marine (marine science meets bounce house energy)

  • Food trucks + activities on Regatta Island

  • Fireworks over the lake at 9PM

  • 92.1 CTQ broadcasting live + Brad Paisley ticket giveaway

VIP gets you into the Finish Tower (a/c + wine + lake views = win). Not into crowds? Watch it on ABC 7 the next night, July 4 at 8PM.

Claim your lawn chair space or go full “bougie fireworks.” Either way, this is how Sarasota does summer.

🇺🇸 Baseball, Boom, & A Freebie For The Win

celebrate major league GIF

🎶 The crew hearing ‘God Bless America’ and suddenly becoming professional singers.

Bradenton’s bringing the heat and the fireworks on Thursday, July 3 — and if you’ve never watched pyrotechnics after a minor league game while holding a hot dog in one hand and a free t-shirt in the other... now’s your chance.

🗓️ Thursday, July 3 | 6:30PM
📍 LECOM Park | 1611 9th St W, Bradenton, FL
🎟️ Tickets Required — but first 1,500 fans score a FREE shirt 🎽
💥 Biggest fireworks show of the year

What to expect:

  • Bradenton Marauders game with full red, white & boom energy 🇺🇸

  • Post-game fireworks that bring the “ooooh” and “ahhh”

  • Mascots, music, and all the festive small-town ballpark vibes

Pro tip: Get there early for the t-shirt. Stay late for the boom.

This is Bradenton’s Fourth of July mic drop.

🎇 Where Fireworks Meet in the Middle of the River

Happy Ice Hockey GIF by NHL

🫶 United by fireworks, divided only by the river.

Bradenton and Palmetto are teaming up again for one of the most iconic July 4th traditions on Florida’s Gulf Coast — a synchronized fireworks show launched right over the Manatee River.

🗓️ Thursday, July 4 | Events start at 5PM | Fireworks ~9:30PM
📍 Rossi Park (Bradenton) + Riverside Park (Palmetto)
🎟️ Totally Free | 💺 Bring your own chairs

Here’s the deal:

  • Live music on both sides: Phoenix 5, 22N, The Eric Von Band & more

  • Food trucks galore + artisan vendors + kids zones (bounce houses, splash pads, crafts — all the good stuff)

  • Red, White & Brews beer garden over in Palmetto

  • VIP shaded areas, if you’re feelin’ fancy

  • Fireworks over the river at 9:30PM, launched from the Green Bridge Pier

🚧 Heads up: The Green Bridge closes at 8PM and reopens around 10:30PM. Free parking is available, but it’ll fill up fast — early birds win.

Grab the family, the lawn chairs, and maybe an extra churro. You’ll be glad you did.

🔭 Science, Lasers, & Fireworks Vibes

Disney World Fireworks GIF by Nikki Elledge Brown

🏰 Almost Disney-esque, but without the lines, heatstroke, or $18 lemonade.

Want fireworks without the shoulder-to-shoulder riverfront crowd? The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature has your 4th of July plans covered — and yes, there's a laser light show inside a planetarium. Welcome to peak nerdy-fun energy.

🗓️ Thursday, July 4 | 7–10PM
📍 The Bishop Museum of Science & Nature | 201 10th St W, Bradenton
🎟️ $20 Adults / $15 Kids | Combo Pass (w/ Laser Show): $25 Adults / $20 Kids
💡 Laser Show add-on: $5

Here’s what’s going down:

  • Riverside plaza viewing (bring chairs or blankets)

  • Food trucks for snacks, meals, and post-laser churros

  • Bar with beer, wine & soft drinks

  • 30-min Laser Light Show in the planetarium (showtimes: 7:15, 8:00, 8:45)

Perfect for families, science nerds, and anyone who wants to celebrate America with photons and popcorn.

⚠️ Service animals only in the plaza. Laser show tickets are limitedgrab 'em early if you want to glow.

This is how you do Independence Day with a twist. 🧨🌌

🎆 Bounce Houses, Fireworks & Pure Americana

Fox Tv GIF by Almost Family FOX

🇺🇸 Red, white & bouncy house energy — hold the bedtime.

Looking for a red-white-and-boom night that’s super kid-friendly and stadium-style festive? Head to CoolToday Park in Venice on July 4th for the North Port Freedom Festival — it’s got everything from bounce houses to fireworks to live music (plus, A/C if you’re team "indoors").

🗓️ Friday, July 4 | 6–9:30PM
📍 CoolToday Park | 18800 W Villages Pkwy, Venice, FL
🎟️ Free Entry

Here’s what’s going down:

  • Live music by American Made at 6PM & 7:30PM

  • Patriotic Play Zone with bounce houses, lawn games & more

  • Fireworks show starts at 9PM

  • Vendors, food trucks, and local orgs set up throughout the stadium

  • Opening ceremonies kick off at 6:30PM

It’s the kind of night where kids leave sticky with cotton candy, parents hum along to classic rock, and nobody’s asking to go home early.

Bring a chair, bring the fam, and bring your best red-white-and-blue fit.

Freedom never looked so fun.

🌊 Venice Fireworks, Now with Ocean Breeze

Happy Independence Day GIF by Laff

🌊 Same boom. Better backdrop.

Grab your beach chairs (but maybe leave the dog at home) — Venice’s big fireworks show is back and better than ever with a new launch site: North Brohard Beach. Expect sky-sparking views over the Gulf starting around 9:15PM, with plenty of prime sand-side spots to take it all in.

🗓️ Friday, July 4 | Fireworks ~9:15PM
📍 North Brohard Beach, 1400 Harbor Dr. S, Venice, FL
🎟️ Free to attend | 🅿️ Public beach parking available, first come, first served

Here’s the scoop:

  • Fireworks professionally launched by Pyrotecnico

  • Best viewing from Venice Beach, Service Club Park, Maxine Barritt Park, Brohard Beach, and surrounding spots

  • No views from Humphris Park, South Jetty, Snake Island, or most inland areas (still closed from hurricane damage)

  • Yes, they’re coordinating with sea turtle patrol to keep things safe for our shelled friends

🛥️ Boaters: steer clear of the blast zone, stay out of swim areas, and pack life jackets + nav lights
✈️ Pilots: heads-up — airspace restrictions in effect
🚗 Parking: available at beaches and city lots near Harbor Drive S (but avoid private roads unless you want a surprise tow bill)
♻️ Clean beach = happy beach. Pack it in, pack it out. Bonus points if you join the July 5 volunteer cleanup.

✨ TL;DR: It’s Venice’s 75+ year tradition, with a fresh location and a full Gulf-front glow-up.

Celebrate smart, stay hydrated, and let the pros handle the boom-boom.

🎆 That’s the Boom – You’re All Set for the 4th

Whether you're catching fireworks with your toes in the sand, dancing in a parking lot with street tacos in hand, or claiming “coolest parent” status at the bounce house zoneyou’ve got options.

Just remember:

✔️ Pack a chair
✔️ Hydrate like it’s your job
✔️ Don’t underestimate the power of a funnel cake
✔️ And please don’t bring your dog to the fireworksthey didn’t ask for that kind of stress

Have fun, stay safe, and celebrate however feels most you.

We’ll see you out there — probably with a hot dog in one hand and a glow stick in the other. 🌭✨

Happy Fourth,
The Waves Pest Control Team 🌊

P.S. If you loved this, forward it to a friend who owns at least one American flag tank top.
If you didn’t… maybe skip the third hot dog next time. 🌭