Pop! Bang! Kapow! Soon Saratoga’s skies will be sparkling with Fourth of July fireworks. And the Capital Region’s breaking out all the sparklers and poppers and special effects for its festivities this year, and saratoga living has already done the hard work of carefully curating a list of all the Fourth of July fun to be had in the area. In Saratoga Springs, the city will be proudly putting on a lot of red, white and blue for the annual All-American Celebration, which kicks off at 9am with the Firecracker 4 Road Race, a four-mile race that starts on Broadway in Downtown Saratoga and winds through Skidmore College before ending again downtown. There will also be a concert just outside of Congress Park at 6:30pm featuring Upstate New York rockers The Audiostars, plus a live reading of The Declaration of Independence by an actor portraying Benjamin Franklin at 9:15pm. Immediately following this will be Saratoga’s famous fireworks display.
In addition to the Spa City’s All-American Celebration, Saratoga Casino Hotel will be hosting its own All-American Celebration (yes, same name) with four nights of fireworks, harness racing and gambling, loads of food and drink specials, as well as live music from local singing sensation and American Idol finalist Madison VanDenburg on July 3. On Independence Day, there will also be a 4th of July BBQ Dinner at The Adelphi Hotel— savory open fire pit grilling from 4-8pm—and, for later in the evening, a chance to let loose a little at the July 4th Extravaganza with The Shakedown at Dango’s on Caroline Street.
Of course, it’d only make sense to pay a visit to the Saratoga Battlefield in Stillwater as well, where back in 1777 an American army won two decisive victories against the British. The battlefield, which is now a national historical park, is hosting two interesting events on Thursday, July 4. First up is a celebratory naturalization ceremony from 10-11am where 20 immigrants will become citizens, and then from 2-2:30pm, a park ranger will portray a town crier declaring American independence before leading several patriotic toastings.
Outside of the Saratoga area, there’ll be plenty of fun as well. Lake George Village’s annual Thursday Night Fireworks kick off on the Fourth at 9:30pm (and will keep going, weekly, through Labor Day), and The Great Escape in Queensbury is hosting its Coca-Cola July 4th Fest, a three-day, family-friendly party from July 2-4, filled with all-American activities and traditions. And, of course, down in Albany’s Empire State Plaza, the Capital City will be hosting its own New York State’s Fourth of July Celebration. This is the largest Independence Day celebration in the Capital Region and includes a military flyover, a naturalization ceremony, dozens of local vendors and lots of live music.
For everything else going on in the Capital Region and as far south as New York City (!), take a look at our hand-curated list of can’t-miss events below.
Monday
Lil Wayne and Blink-182 will be performing at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) (July 1)
Skidmore College’s New York State Summer Writers Institute begins a month of free authors readings, panel discussions and more (July 1-July 28)
Tuesday
The jam band Phish, one of Saratoga’s perennial favorites, is coming to SPAC for two nights (July 2-3)
Skidmore Jazz Institute concerts kick off with a performance by the Sullivan Fortner Quartet at Arthur Zankel Music Center (July 2-July 12)
Wednesday
The Glens Falls Symphony presents its annual Summer Pops Concert at Crandall Park in Glens Galls (July 3)
The Warrensburg Summer Concert Series begins a season of great shows with Roxy and The Road Kings at the Warrensburg Bandstand (every Wednesday through September 4)
Thursday (Fourth of July)
Artist Greg Tomb will be setting up a temporary glassblowing studio next to the Gideon Putnam in Saratoga and offering regular glassblowing classes (July 4 through September 3)
Enjoy live music, symposiums, performance art and more at the International African Arts Festival at Commodore Park in Brooklyn (July 4-7)
Friday
The legendary singer-songwriter Jackson Browne is playing with special guest Lucius at SPAC in Saratoga Springs (July 5)
Pianist and composer Andy Iorio will be playing his latest album Awakening live at the Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls (July 5)
Lace up your hiking boots for the Lake George Land Conservancy Hike-A-Thon at various locations throughout the Lake George region (July 5)
The New York Mets will face off against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field in Flushing, Queens (July 5-7)
Monty Python and the Dark Ages collide in this musical comedy The Enlightenment of Percival von Schmootz, which starts a week of performances at the Adirondack Theatre Festival in Glens Falls (July 5-13)
Opera Saratoga brings this freshly reimagined version of Hansel and Gretel to Saratoga’s Spa Little Theater (July 5, 8, 10 and 14)
Catch an authentic rodeo at the Double M Rodeo in Ballston Spa; includes drinks, burgers and BBQ, plus line-dancing (every Friday through August 30)
The 2019 Saratoga Polo Tournament Season begins with the Saratoga Tournament in Greenfield Center (every Friday and Sunday, July 5 through September 1)
Saturday
Kansas Smitty’s House Band is performing at Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center (July 6)
The 16th Annual Powers Park Concert Series in Troy kicks off with rising rock star, Moriah Formica (July 6)
Enjoy a night of Caribbean music with pianist Milton Ruben Laufer and soprano Marina de Ratmiroff, performing “Reflections of the Caribbean” at The Sembrich in Bolton Landing (July 6)
The 3rd Annual SUPERTONE Music Festival, a showcase of rock and honky-tonk music, returns to the Basilica Hudson in Hudson (July 6)
Blind Crow, a homegrown Capital Region bluegrass quartet, is performing at Caffè Lena in Saratoga (July 6)
Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art kicks off its MoMA PS1 Warmup, one of the longest-running music and dance programs held within a museum (every Saturday from July 6 through August 31)
Located in the heart of the Lower East Side in Manhattan, the Hester Street Fair offers more than 60 incredible vendors selling crafts, food and more all summer long (every Saturday through August 31)
Sunday
Take a Summer Stroll through the Saratoga Spa State Park Complex with Linda Harvey-Opiteck (July 7)
Get ready to run the Paul Luther Memorial 5K starting at Park Place in Mechanicville (July 7)
Celebrate Adirondack Theater Festival’s 25th Anniversary with a night reliving their greatest hits at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls (July 7)
The 2019 Music Haven concert series begins its free, summer music program at Music Haven Stage in Schenectady’s Central Park (July 7 through August 18)