Fourth of July Celebrations, Fireworks in Alexandria, DC and Northern Virginia

by Mary Ann Barton

Alexandria holds its fireworks bash Saturday, July 13 from 7 to 10 p.m. to celebrate Alexandria's 264th birthday this year at Oronoco Bay Park. 

The evening's program includes children's activities and pre-show entertainment, exhibits by community groups and food sales; followed by awards presentation, birthday cake, musical performances and (of course!) fireworks.

Fireworks are illegal for residents to purchase, possess or set off in Alexandria, including sparklers. Here's more on the fireworks ban.

If you're don't want to wait until July 13 to see fireworks locally, here's information on the Fourth of July celebrations across Northern Virginia and DC: 

The big enchilada of fireworks shows along the National Mall — all 17 minutes of it — begins at 9:10 p.m. when the fireworks are shot from an area near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. 

The National Park Service offers a list of best places to view the show and tips for planning your day. The evening begins will a full program of performers and can also be viewed live at home on your PBS station. The list of performers for this year's A Capitol Fourth show includes Barry Manilow and country singer Scott McCreery.

• Mount Vernon, the home of President George Washington, holds daytime fireworks made from colored smoke fired over the Potomac River at its daylong (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Fourth of July event, "An American Celebration." More information is available here.

• Arlington County celebrates the Fourth of July with a free fete featuring The Verve Pipe, who will headline a day (from 3 to 10 p.m.) of festive doings at Long Bridge Park in Crystal City. Other local bands will also perform, including Jeff From Accounting, a popular local cover band. The celebration includes a variety of dishes from local food trucks, drop-in kickball by Kickball365, an arts and crafts market, games and a great view of the DC fireworks. For more information, visit the county page about this event.

• Falls Church is hosting a Fourth of July celebration at George Mason High School, 7124 Leesburg Pike, with music starting at 7 p.m. and a fireworks show starting at 9:20 p.m. on July 4. The event is free to the public. This year's celebration will feature a live performance by the Beatles tribute band The Apple Core.  No alcohol, personal fireworks or smoking is permitted on school grounds. The rain date is July 5, same time and location. Spectator seating on the rain date will be available at the high school, but not the Graduate Center parking lot.) 

• Fairfax City holds an Independence Day parade through the downtown area beginning at 10 a.m. Musical entertainment begins at 7 p.m. at Fairfax High School with a fireworks display when it gets dark (about 9 p.m.).
  

• Reston will see fireworks at Lake Fairfax, where park grounds open at 7 a.m. The Water Mine will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vendors will be set up near the park main office. There will be plenty of other activities for children including a puppet show and carousel rides. The fireworks show will begin at about 9:15 p.m.

• Vienna will host a day of fun on the Fourth of July, including "Pooches on Parade," which is new this year. Also, there will be live music, kids' crafts and much more at the Vienna Community Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fun continues at 7 p.m. at Yeonas Park with music from Fat Chance. Fireworks begin at 9:15 p.m. at Southside Park. Check out all of the details on Vienna's Web site.