Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

KPBS Midday Edition Segments

Where To Celebrate Fourth Of July In San Diego

 July 3, 2019 at 10:44 AM PDT

Speaker 1: 00:00 From sea to shining sea. We'll be celebrating America's birthday tomorrow. Forecasters say the weather will be just about perfect here in San Diego for barbecues, parades, beach parties, and some good old fashioned fireworks here to tell us about what's happening on the fourth is KPBS arts calendar editor, Nina Garren, you know, welcome. Hello. It seems like most neighborhoods in San Diego have their twist on 4th of July celebrations. Can you tell us about some of them? Speaker 2: 00:30 I think that many neighborhoods begin the day with like a morning parade and these are really community building and it's when the kids come out and they decorate their bikes and local, you know, local high school bands play. And so you can find those in places like Scripps Ranch, Coronado, bird rock, um, even Julian, they're going to have one along their main street. So really that's a nice traditional way to start the 4th of July. A neighborhood way. Yeah, neighborhood way. Right. Speaker 1: 01:02 Then we have some all day celebrations to tell us about those. Speaker 2: 01:06 Yeah. If you're looking for more of a place to go and hang out all day and that way you don't have to cook anything. Um, there's some old fashioned celebrations going on. There's one at old Poway park and they're going to have, um, kind of turn of the 20th century style games. There'll be Western reenactors. Um, there's going to be train rides for a small fee and then over an old town they're going to also do kind of San Diego early experience. They're going to have costumes and they're going to have wagon rides and you can play old fashioned games like egg toss and cherry pit spitting and have a pie eating contest. And are they all free? Yeah. Most of these neighborhood celebrations are free. And there's even, I hear a pool party somewhere. Yeah, the Pool Party is not free. That one's at the Lafayette Hotel. It's from noon to five, and there's going to be a DJ and your ticket includes a drink and you just kinda hang out, dance, swim, and just pass the time there until the fireworks begin. Speaker 1: 02:11 Okay. You're talking about it now. The main event is the fireworks on the 4th of July. But before we talk about the big bay boom, tell us about the neighborhood displays. Speaker 2: 02:21 Again, a lot of your neighborhoods are going to be doing small shows. Most of those start at nine. You can see them at like Marie Escondido, Chula Vista del Mar. Um, we have a website that I will pitch later that you can see where they are. Um, I do want to point out that people are used to going to La Jolla for fireworks. Last year they didn't have them, and again this year they won't have them. So do not go to La Jolla shores or scripts park expecting fireworks. You'll have a nice day at the beach, but there will not be fireworks there. But of course the del Mar Fair on his final day has a big fireworks. Are that? Yes. So if you're up in that area, you can head on over to the del Mar Fair Ground and watch those fireworks. So then of course there's the big bay boom that we mentioned earlier. Speaker 2: 03:10 The biggest of all the fireworks displays. What happens at it now that is the biggest one in San Diego. There are fireworks released from four barges along the bay and it's accompanied by music that you can hear on seven different radio stations. I think their iHeart radio stations had just your pop stations. Um, and you can see it from all over from shelter island, Harbor Island Embarcadero, Cesar Chavez Park, and the ferry landing. So it's basically the big star and about how many people show up for the big bay boom. They estimate it at about 500,000 people. Wow. Yeah, that's a lot. So how early do people have to show up to get a spot? You really should just plan on going there all day. You should go as early as possible. If you can't do that, there are parking spots that you can pay for. They range from $20 to $40 and they're also shuttles that you can get from point Loma and from airport parking structures. Speaker 2: 04:08 But really to have a nice day and to get a good spot, just wake up and just go over there. Is there anything to do? Say if you want a, I don't know, more of a low key 4th of July celebration, if that means hiking a little bit. I have a really fun event at the Cabrio National Monument. They're doing something called above the fireworks and it's kind of like a sunset picnic and you can see views from dozens of displaced from around the county. You're supposed to bring your own chairs, flashlights and some blankets, but once you're all set up, you have this gorgeous view. They are saying to not arrive until six o'clock because if you get there early, they'll just make you drive around. So show up for that at six. And if you want to celebrate it, you know, without being obviously 4th of July, but still want to go out. Lyle Lovett is going to be in town and he's doing a show called celebrate America with Leia. Love it. It's part of Bayside summer nights. And so he'll be performing part of his usual repertoire, which is Americano, music, Gospel, blues, Jazz, all of that. So you do get a feel of America, but it's just not, you know, so obvious traditionally, right? Yeah. Let's listen to Lyle Lovett and his large band. This is, that's right. You're not from Texas. Speaker 3: 05:25 That's right. That's right. That's right. Down about the Texas, Texas pumps. It was obvious. I was born and raised in Texas Speaker 2: 05:37 so much. Speaker 3: 05:40 No Mag girl, Joe. See as we would drive down, she asked me, so how come you foleys about [inaudible]? Speaker 4: 06:04 That's it. That's what, or even more 4th of July events in San Diego. Go to kpbs.org/fireworks. I've been speaking with KPBS arts calendar editor, Nina Garren, Nina, happy 4th of July. Happy 4th of July, Texas. Speaker 3: 06:20 The, it looks so she's on the set. She who small [inaudible] is a good, eh.

It’s Fourth of July weekend and that means fireworks, patriotic concerts, and a little tap dancing, too. KPBS/Arts editor Nina Garin has details.
KPBS Midday Edition Segments