Celebrate the 4th Up North! From Frankfort to Traverse City and beyond, these 8 Independence Day events are loved by locals and visitors alike. Dive in to plan the perfect 4th of July in Northern Michigan this summer.
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Arguably the most action-packed day and night of summer in Northern Michigan, July 4th in the North is bursting—in air, on water and across most every town—with fireworks, parades and patriotic parties of all kinds. Your challenge: choosing. Here, our well-intentioned attempt to help you find the all-American North Country fun that fits YOU best!
A Two-fer Show on Little Traverse Bay
The sky over Little Traverse Bay hosts not one but two fireworks shows on the Fourth: Harbor Springs schedules its start for 10:30 p.m. Petoskey, just four miles across the water, aims for the thereabouts-ish “dusk.” Whether the neighboring shows ultimately overlap or light up the night in succession, you’re guaranteed two for the price of none.
The Largest Fireworks Display in Northern Michigan
Mackinaw City bills its Fourth of July fireworks—starting at dusk, after a peppy Patriotic concert at Conkling Heritage Park—the largest display in Northern Michigan. (We’re inclined to believe; the city takes its fireworks shows so seriously it also hosts two a week, every Friday and Sunday night, all summer long.)
Mega Musical Fireworks in Traverse City
A 30-minute multi-genre musical mashup timed to the rhythm of jaw-dropping pyrotechnics dancing over West Grand Traverse Bay makes this 10:30 p.m. event a favorite at Traverse City’s National Cherry Festival—one worthy of the name of the nonprofit that makes it happen, the TC Boom Boom Club.
Photo by Dave Weidner
A Very Patriotic 4th of July
Fort Mackinac will celebrate Independence Day much as its soldiers did more than a century ago: with music, banners and bunting; patriotic toasts; games of catch, hoop and stick, and Jacob’s Ladder. Watch fireworks explode overhead from the fort’s hilltop perch or scurry west of downtown to the schoolyard on Main Street; its water-adjacent location gets you closer to the action and the Mighty Mac, lit up red, white and blue-tiful for the occasion.
A Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence
Neither sun nor wind nor heat nor parade traffic stays volunteers from delivering a public reading of the Declaration of Independence at the doors of multiple Leelanau County post offices at 10 a.m. each Fourth of July. Find locations and call ahead to confirm: postallocations.com.
Historical Hide-N-Seek in Frankfort
Much as we love Frankfort’s sand sculpture contest, kids’ bike decorating competition and small town–vibe parade and fireworks, our favorite Fourth of July finale is one the city started in the ’70s: a hunt for a hidden brass medallion, a relic of the city’s 1930s-founded Soaring Club. Once each day from July 1 to 4, the Frankfort Elberta Chamber of Commerce posts a progressively easier clue—usually tied to community history—leading hunters to the hiding spot. Whoever finds the medallion first wins $150 and a little historic footnote of their own.
Horton Bay’s Crazy Festive Parade
An exploding volcano, a dancing five-person flag, Sasquatch and leashed hamsters have appeared in Horton Bay’s annual (and infamous) July 4 parade. In 2023, with a “Let’s Go Retro!” theme and some of Samuel Horton’s own (very enthusiastic) descendants at the helm, we’re expecting a parade of historic proportions. View the Facebook event for more information.
Get Your Ducks in a Race
At 2 p.m., you can watch hundreds of rubber ducks race down the Boyne River from Old City Park (27 S. Lake St., Boyne City) or, better yet, buy one from the Boyne Area Chamber for $10 and a chance to win a prize between $50 and $1,000 … depending, of course, how lucky your ducky.