Fourth of July Weekend Roundup

Happy 4th of July! As usual, there’s plenty to do in Houston to celebrate, from neighborhood parades to free public celebrations all over the city. Wishing you and yours a happy fourth!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA Clara and Evelyn Estes race to Colonial Park after the West University July 4th Bike Parade and Pool Party in 2024. (Photo: Jenna Baer)

West University's Independence Day: Bike Parade and Pool Party
Fri., July 4, 8:45 a.m.-12 p.m.
West U Elementary down to Colonial Park Pool
Free
Deck out your bikes for the annual parade from West U Elementary down to Colonial Park Pool for a fun and refreshing celebration. To participate, please dress up or decorate your ride in patriotic style. Lining up will start at 8:45 a.m. in front of West U Elementary school on University Blvd. The parade will start at 9 a.m. sharp and will end at Colonial Park Pool. Following the parade, the celebration continues on at Colonial Park Pool from 9:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Registration is required for each activity the day of the event and can be made at Colonial Park Pool. Registrations are limited and prizes will be awarded for each contest winner.

Siblings Isabella, John Luke, and Sienna Munz (from left) celebrate with red, white, and blue at the annual City of Bellaire Celebration of Independence and Festival. (Photo: Christi Blakkolb Munz)

Bellaire’s Celebration of Independence Parade & Festival
Fri., July 4, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
The Parade will start at South Rice Ave. and Valerie St. The Children's Bike Parade will start at South Rice Ave. and Evergreen St. Both parades will end at South Rice Ave. and Linden St.
Free
Enjoy the beloved yearly tradition of the Bellaire 4th of July Parade and Festival with food, music, and fun! Watch or participate in the Children’s Bike Parade before watching the big parade that follows. The festival after the parade's conclusion (starting at approx. 9:30 a.m.) will have refreshments and a car show!

FUN ON THE FOURTH The Dickerson family and the Dunk family, including siblings Brooks (back, at left) and Charlie Dunk (front, at left), and Mason (back, at right), Carter (middle), and Eloise Dickerson (front), attend the Memorial Villages Independence Day parade together each year.

Memorial Villages Independence Day Parade
Fri., July 4, 9:45 a.m.
The Fun Run & Bike Ride will begin at the Memorial Church of Christ. The parade will start from Memorial Church of Christ at Gaylord and Echo Ln., continue east on Gaylord to Piney Point Rd., turn south on Piney Point Rd. and conclude in front of Ecclesia
Free
Celebrate the Fourth with a classic parade and Fun Run/Bike Ride starting at the Memorial Church of Christ and concluding in front of Ecclesia. Start off your day of festivities with decked out bikes and runners followed by floats and cars! Pre registration is not required to participate in the Fun Run and Bike Ride. The parade will begin at 10:00 a.m. from Memorial Church of Christ at Gaylord and Echo Ln., continue east on Gaylord to Piney Point Rd., turn south on Piney Point Rd. and conclude in front of Ecclesia. The Fun Run & Bike Ride will begin at 9:45 a.m. from Memorial Church of Christ.

Celebrate Independence Day at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens with a fun festival including performers, crafts, activities, and refreshments, plus the opportunity to sign the giant Declaration of Independence. 

Fourth of July Celebration at Bayou Bend
Fri., July 4, 1-5 p.m.
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Free
Celebrate Independence Day at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, Houston’s home for American decorative arts from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. With its unique blend of the arts and American history, Bayou Bend is the perfect place to salute freedom in style. The annual festival features an extravaganza of Americana, with performers, crafts, activities, and refreshments. Admission is free!

Families can celebrate the Fourth of July with a fun day at the Children's Museum, including a confetti dance party.

Kidpendence Day Party
Fri., July 4, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Children’s Museum Houston
General Admission
Children's Museum Houston is putting the “YAY!” in USA with a star-spangled celebration that’s bursting with wonder, wow-factors, and red-white-and-BOOM-level fun! Little patriots can high-five heroes, blast off with explosive science, and dance under a confetti sky from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with general admission.

Houston’s official Fourth of July celebration features live music, family activities, and a stunning fireworks extravaganza.

Freedom Over Texas
Fri., July 4, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Eleanor Tinsley Park
General admission: $10, Children under 5: free
This year’s Freedom Over Texas is an event filled with six-hours of festivities, tradition, and live concert stages, along Allen Parkway. Freedom Over Texas will feature local, regional, and national entertainment and will be capped off with a musically choreographed, “Texas-sized” fireworks finale. Freedom Over Texas will feature a unique non-profit component that joins forces with the Houston Food Bank to help fill an extraordinary demand in our regional community. The event will donate a percentage of food and beverage sales to the Houston Food Bank. Event parking is available for a fee at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts parking garage located at 800 Bagby Street, 77002.

Celebrate the 4th of July at POST Skylawn! Watch the City of Houston's fireworks show from an incredible rooftop view. Enjoy cirque performers, complimentary balloon artist creations, face painting, delicious food, multiple bars, and more. (Photo courtesy of POST Houston)

4th of July Celebration on Skylawn at POST
Fri., July 4, 5-10 p.m.
POST Houston
$20 for early bird tickets. Limited free tickets for children 5 years of age and under.
Celebrate the 4th of July at POST Skylawn! Head to POST to see the City of Houston's "FREEDOM OVER TEXAS" fireworks show with an incredible rooftop view. Enjoy cirque performers, complimentary balloon artist creations, face painting, delicious food, and multiple bars - all on the iconic POST rooftop! The event will feature live performances by the Houston Brass Band and the best cover band in Texas, Alias Band, jamming out to top hits!

4th of July at the Lone Star Flight Museum
Fri., July 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Lone Star Flight Museum
Adults: $18; Youth: $15; Children: $12
The Lone Star Flight Museum has all sorts of things for July 4th, including ‘Things with Wings,’ a playtime learning activity for ages 4 and under, a highlights tour, a “STEMonstration,” meeting a Texas Aviation Hall of Fame inductee, climbing inside the Mooney Ovation aircraft, and adult-only flight time in a flight simulator.

Celebrate Fourth of July at CityCentre with a live band, DJ, snow cones, and a specialty themed backdrop on Fri., July 4, 12-3 p.m. (Photo courtesy of CityCentre)

CITYCENTRE’s Fourth of July Celebration
Fri., July 4, 12-3 p.m.
CITYCENTRE
Free
Join CITYCENTRE for festivities you don’t want to miss on Friday, July 4th. Celebrate the holiday with a live band, DJ, snow cones, and a specialty themed backdrop. Please note there will not be fireworks at this event.

Celebrate the red, white, and blue with the Houston Symphony at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Star Spangled Salute Produced by Houston Symphony
Fri., July 4, 8:30 p.m.
Miller Outdoor Theatre
Free
Let freedom ring and celebrate the red, white, and blue with your Houston Symphony for the celebration of America’s birthday at Miller! Enjoy the “Star-Spangled Salute,” featuring patriotic fan-favorites like “1812 Overture,” “The Stars and Stripes Forever”, and “America the Beautiful,” followed by a grand finale that lights up the night sky with a breathtaking firework display provided by the Miller Theatre Advisory Board.

2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final
Sun., July 6, 6 p.m.
NRG Stadium
$90
Enjoy the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final that takes place Sunday, July 6 at the NRG Stadium. Admission is $90.

Ideas through the weekend:

Kayaks at Kinder Lake are returning - and this time they’re lighting up the night, equipped with LED lights! New this year and for a limited time only: Discovery Green is offering motorized Bumper Boats. 

Bumper Boats and Kayaks on Kinder Lake
Fri., May 23-Sun., July 6, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. each day
Discovery Green's Kinder Lake
$12/boat or kayak; Bumper Boat + Kayak rides are $20.
For a limited time only, Discovery Green is offering Bumper Boats. The boat basin at Discovery Green will be home to seven motorized bumper cars ready for you to spin, twirl and steer into oncoming vessels. No previous captaining experience necessary! Children under 12 need an adult to ride with them.

An array of plasma tubes flicker and click, mimicking the Northern Lights. (Photo: Caroline Blocker Martinez)

Floating World: A.A.Murakami at MFAH
On view through Sept. 21. The exhibit is open for viewing Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., and Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Level 1 of the Audrey Jones Beck Building at MFAH
Entry is included with a ticket to the museum (admission: Ages 12 and under: free, ages 13-18: $20, adults 19+: $24, senior 65+ with ID: $20, and Thursdays only for ages 13+: $10).
New exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Read Buzz summer interns' thoughts on the exhibit here!

Buzz summer interns Alden Farrow (left) and Bailey Johnson (right) visit the Extreme Animals Alive exhibit at HMNS. 

HMNS 'Extreme Animals Alive' Exhibit
Lower Level of HMNS
The exhibit is open Monday-Sunday from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Admission is $35 per adult and $27 per child. Member pricing is $20 for children and adults.

Step into a graphic novel and meet some of the champions of the animal kingdom, both famous and hidden gems, including vinegaroons, Savanah monitors, axolotls, fennec foxes, and many more at the HMNS 'Extreme Animals Alive' Exhibit. Explore topics like biofluorescence and learn about how a surprising number of animals glow under UV light, like corals, arthropods, insects, fishes, mammals and more. Plunge into a world where animal adaptations are nothing short of spectacular. Read Buzz summer interns' story about the exhibit here!

More Events
See more upcoming events on our event calendar.