Massachusetts July 4 fireworks 2026: towns, times, rain dates
Massachusetts has more than 100 permitted Fourth of July fireworks displays in 2026, including 24 towns on Saturday, July 4. The free Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on the Charles River Esplanade is the headline event, and Boston.com lists every town's time and official rain date statewide. Schedules run from late June through mid-July as the Department of Fire Services approves new permits.
Summer is here, and with it comes a steady stream of fireworks — most honoring the Fourth of July, and many on July 4. Fireworks displays in towns across Massachusetts will be held every weekend through mid-July, and the Department of Fire Services is expected to approve more permits in the coming days and weeks, according to Boston.com. If your town is missing, check back each Friday or email tips@boston.com with weather delays.
Key Takeaways
- Twenty-four Massachusetts communities have fireworks scheduled for Saturday, July 4, 2026, with most starting between 9:00 and 10:15 p.m.
- The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular — free at the Hatch Shell — features Jane Lynch as host, with the concert beginning at 7 p.m. and Charles River fireworks at 9:40 p.m.; rain date is July 5.
- Boston.com tracks 113 permitted displays across 91 towns from Provincetown to Williamstown, updated through Sunday, July 5.
- Foxboro canceled its Patriot Place fireworks because of World Cup festivities; Seekonk Speedway hosts a separate paid thrill-show on July 4.
- Smart holiday planning — picking a free local show and confirming rain dates — is one of the easiest ways to stretch a summer budget, a theme we cover in our Wealth Hacks & Passive Income guides.
What time is the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on July 4?
The region's most notable Fourth of July celebration returns for its 52nd year on the Esplanade this Saturday, July 4. The Oval opens at noon and the concert begins at 7 p.m., according to the Boston Globe. Boston.com's permit data lists fireworks over the Charles River at 9:40 p.m., choreographed with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra.
This year's lineup includes country singer Lainey Wilson, hip-hop artist Chance The Rapper, New Orleans jazz musician Trombone Shorty, and actress-singer Megan Hilty, per Boston.com. Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Jane Lynch hosts. Portions air on CNN, with local broadcast on WHDH-TV Channel 7 and streaming on the CNN app, the Boston Globe reports.
Lynch told the Globe she was "thrilled and very honored" to emcee amid America's 250th anniversary and World Cup fever in Boston. "We're a democracy for the people, by the people," she said. "It's about the people, and we're going to show up and celebrate that."
Boston.com's permit table lists the July 4 Charles River display at 9:40 p.m. with a rain date of July 5. Boston also has fireworks off Long Wharf on July 2 at 9:00 p.m. (rain date July 1) and additional displays off Fan Pier on July 11 and July 15 at 9:00 p.m.
Which Massachusetts towns have fireworks on July 4, 2026?
Boston.com compiles more than 100 celebrations statewide. These 24 communities have permitted displays on Saturday, July 4, with times and rain dates from the site's 2026 table:
- Agawam — 9:30 p.m. at Six Flags Picnic Grove; rain date July 10
- Amesbury — 9:30 p.m. at Woodsom Farm; rain date July 5
- Beverly — 9:15 p.m. from a barge off West Beach; rain date July 5
- Boston — 9:40 p.m. on the Charles River; rain date July 5
- Bridgewater — 9:30 p.m. at Legion Field; no rain date listed
- East Harwich — 9:15 p.m. off Wequassett Inn; rain date July 5
- Edgartown — 9:15 p.m. in Edgartown Harbor; rain date July 5
- Lowell — 9:00 p.m. at the Aiken Street pedestrian walkway; rain date July 5
- Marblehead — 9:15 p.m. in Marblehead Harbor; rain date July 5
- Mashpee — 9:15 p.m. on the golf course; rain date July 6
- Nahant — 9:00 p.m. at Bailey's Point Park; no rain date listed
- Nantucket — 9:00 p.m. off Jetties Beach; rain date July 5
- Newton — 9:15 p.m. at Albemarle Field; rain date July 5
- North Adams — 9:15–9:45 p.m. at 400 Curran Highway; rain date July 5
- Plymouth — 9:30 p.m. in Plymouth Harbor; no rain date listed
- Provincetown — 9:00 p.m. at Macmillan Pier; no rain date listed
- Salem — 9:00 p.m. at Derby Wharf; rain date July 18
- Salisbury — 10:15 p.m. from a barge off Salisbury Beach; no rain date listed
- Seekonk — 9:00 p.m. at 1782 Fall River Ave.; rain date July 5
- Springfield — 9:30 p.m. at Memorial Bridge; rain date July 5
- Wakefield — 9:30 p.m. at the end of Beacon Street; rain date July 6
- Williamstown — 9:15–9:45 p.m. at Taconic Golf Club; rain date July 5
- Winthrop — 9:20 p.m. at Coughlin Park; rain date July 5
- Worcester — postgame at Polar Park; no rain date listed
Many towns celebrate earlier in the week. Holyoke shoots June 26 at 9:15 p.m. (rain date June 27). Braintree, Chicopee, Everett, and Sandwich hold June 27 shows. Billerica and Franklin stage July 2 displays. Boston.com's full table covers every approved permit through summer.
What is happening in southeastern Massachusetts?
WPRI 12 lists additional South Coast and Bristol County events. Attleboro holds its Independence Day celebration at Attleboro High School on Friday, July 3, with gates at 5 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m.
Fall River's annual display is Saturday, July 4, with festivities from 5 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m., best viewed from Heritage State Park, Senator Thomas Norton City Pier, and Veterans Memorial Bicentennial Park. New Bedford celebrates Friday, July 3, with a 6 p.m. concert on Purchase Street and harbor fireworks at 9 p.m. from Lower Union Street.
Freetown fires at Hathaway Park on Friday, July 3, with a parade in Assonet Village on Saturday. Seekonk Speedway also hosts an Independence Day Thrill Show on July 4 at 5 p.m. with racing and a fireworks finale; presale tickets are $25 for adults and $12 for kids.
Patriot Place in Foxboro canceled its annual Patriotic Fireworks Spectacular because of World Cup festivities, WPRI reports — worth confirming before making the drive.
How do rain dates work for July 4 fireworks?
Each permitted display in Massachusetts carries an official rain date set when the Department of Fire Services approves the show. Boston.com updates its list through Sunday, July 5, and encourages towns to report weather delays to tips@boston.com.
Most July 4 rain dates fall on July 5 or July 6. Salem's backup is July 18 — the latest among July 4 shows. Agawam's Six Flags display has a rain date of July 10. When a town lists "n/a," no alternate date appears in the permit data.
Arrive early for waterfront shows in Salem, Plymouth, and Provincetown. For the Esplanade, plan to be on the Charles by midday if you want a spot near the Hatch Shell.
Whether you stake out the Esplanade or a hometown field, Massachusetts offers a full calendar of free and low-cost Fourth of July fireworks this year — no paid ticket required for the state's signature show on the Charles.