4th of July Weekend Activities

Independence Day Weekend Activities

Celebrating the Fourth of July in Oceanside

Check out these family friendly, fun, patriotic events happening in Oceanside during the Fourth of July holiday weekend!

Star Spangled Market: June 30th, 5:00pm – 9:00pm

The Sunset Market is a weekly outdoor market with plenty of hot food, live entertainment, a children's area, certified agriculture products, cold pre-packaged food as well as retail, artisan and craft booths. The Sunset Market will become the Star Spangled Market on June 30th, and have a “Red, White, & Blue” theme in honor of Independence Day. Don't miss the giant inflatable heart that will be set up at the Star Spangled Market!

Independence Parade: July 2nd, 10:00am – 12:00pm

The Oceanside Independence Parade will begin at 10:00am in front of the 101 Cafe (Coast Highway at Wisconsin Avenue) and work its way north on Coast Hwy towards Civic Center Drive just past City Hall. Come see floats, bands, walking groups, cool cars and much more. Viewing of the parade is available from the sidewalks along the entire route. Spectators are encouraged to bring folding chairs. The highest concentration of viewers will be on the north end of the route past Seagaze Avenue.

Fireworks Show: July 3rd, 6:00pm – 10:00pm

The City of Oceanside Fireworks Show will be staged north of the El Corazon Senior Center. Rancho Del Oro Boulevard will be closed from 6:00pm – 10:00pm for this event. The display of fireworks will begin at 9:00pm. There will be music and food trucks at the event site from 6:00pm – 9:00pm. Spectators are encouraged to park in the nearby lots, bring a beach chair, and walk to the viewing area on Rancho Del Oro Road. No parking will be available at the El Corazon Senior Center. Limited parking will be available in the Ocean Ranch Business Park. Overflow parking will be available at El Camino High School.

Yankee Doodle Dinghy Parade: July 4th, 1:00pm – 3:00pm

The Yankee Doodle Dinghy Parade will begin at 1:00pm in the Oceanside Harbor at the Oceanside Yacht Club and then continue on to the south end of the harbor. Anyone may decorate a patriotic dinghy 12 feet and under and enter in the parade. There is no entry fee, and trophies will be awarded. Those who are interested in participating may register at the Oceanside Yacht Club office before July 4th or at the skippers meeting at 10:00am on July 4th at the yacht club.

Independence Day at the Beach: July 4th, All-Day

Be sure to wear your best “Red, White, and Blue” attire when on Oceanside Beach and Pier for the Fourth of July. Beach vendors along the Strand will be open on July 4th with additional food, activities, and retail available for all. Please be aware that the bike/surreys rentals will not be available, as no bikes are permitted on the Strand that day.

Oceanside Adventures Cruise: July 4th, 8:00pm – 9:30pm

Come aboard with Oceanside Adventures to watch a fireworks display at Camp Pendleton. The cruise will depart from the Oceanside Harbor at 8:00pm and will travel outside the harbor a short distance to get a great view. Depending on the weather, you may have the opportunity to see many of the fireworks shows happening around the Oceanside/North County area. Reservations are required.

Beach Clean Up: July 5th, 8:00am – 11:00am

After the Fourth of July Festivities, is the “Morning After Mess” beach cleanup. Join in on the annual Surfrider cleanup after the busy holiday weekend.  There is no need to pre-register for this beach clean up, just show up July 5th on the beach, at the pier, and lend a hand to keep Oceanside beaches beautiful!

4th of July Events Around San Diego County

San Diego: Big Bay Boom, 9:00pm

Big Bay Boom is said to be the largest fireworks display in the county, with fireworks launched from four barges strategically placed around North San Diego Bay. The fireworks from Big Bay Boom can be seen from Shelter Island, Harbor Island, the Embarcadero area and Seaport Village/Coronado Landing. Just find a place along the bay and you will not be disappointed.

San Diego: Old Town 4th of July, 10:00am – 4:00pm

Old Town San Diego will host a parade, crafts and activities all based off of an early San Diego to recreate an old fashioned Independence Day celebrated on the frontier. No fireworks will be occurring at this location.

Escondido: Independence Day Festival & Fireworks, 4:00pm

Visit the California Center of the Arts, Escondido for the 53rd Annual Independence Day Festival & Fireworks with music, fabulous food vendors, and a wealth of children's activities and games for everyone to enjoy. Fireworks will begin at 9:00pm at this location.

Vista: Independence Day Celebration, 5:00pm – 9:00pm

Celebrate the Fourth of July in Vista at the Moonlight Amphitheatre with live music, an honorary ceremony, family fun and fireworks!

LEGOLAND California: Red, White and BOOM!, Fireworks at 8:30pm

Take the whole family to LEGOLAND California and spend the day enjoying over 60 rides, shows and attractions along with some all-American picnic games like burlap races and water-balloon tosses and then top it off with an awe-inspiring fireworks display at 8:30pm set to patriotic music.

Camp Pendleton: Del Mar Beach Bash, All-Day

The Camp Pendleton Del Mar Beach Bash is an event specifically for service members and families starting about 8:00am on July 4th. Del Mar Beach will be the host to beach games, tribute to heroes videos, and kids activities; along with live bands and food at the base's Del Mar Beach Resort.

 

For a complete listing of Fourth of July events happening in San Diego County, click here!

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Have you seen the RAAM Vans?

Over the next several days you will begin to see vehicles covered in stickers and decals, some even with speakers attached to the roof of the vehicles.  You may ask yourself what is going on?, but have no fear! These are the RAAM vans! They are the support vehicles for the participants of Race Across America (RAAM) and Race Across the West (RAW) and will be traveling with the riders as they make their way from Oceanside, CA to their final destinations of either Annapolis, MD or Durango, CO. The support vehicles carry the food, water, gear, and tool kits for the athletes, so that they don't have to worry about anything except riding as fast as they can to the finish line. For the safety of the riders, the vehicles are required to be clearly marked with the team's name, participation number, event decals, etc.

RAAM draws in some of the toughest endurance bicyclists from around the world, with 17 different countries represented by individuals and teams participating in the event.  The cyclists are traveling to Oceanside from as far away as Samoa, Russia, Japan, and India; and as close as Encinitas, California.

Featured in the image to the left is solo cyclist Nicole Reist and her support team from Switzerland and Austria who are excitingly preparing for the race to begin. Their support vehicle is decked out with multiple flags of Switzerland, along with two speakers on top of the car ready to play her favorite music to keep her motivated during the race. This is Reist's first time participating in the event and she will be racing alongside fellow female solo cyclists Juliana Buhring (GER) and 6-time RAAM winner Seana Hogan (USA). Click here to see the official Race Roster listing all of the athletes and the countries they represent.

If you are interested in learning more about this year's participants, press conferences will be held on Monday, June 13th at 9:30am for the RAW athletes and 10:15am for the RAAM solo racers.  The final press conference featuring the RAAM team riders will be held on Thursday, June 16th at 10:30am.  All press conferences will be held within the Oceanside Pier Plaza.

Race Across America (RAAM) and Race Across the West (RAW) will officially kick-off on June 14th and June 18th, 2016.

Oceanside visitors and locals are welcome to gather at the Oceanside Pier on June 14th at 12pm and June 18th at 12pm to cheer on and wave goodbye to the 316 participating athletes as they begin their journey towards the East. RAAM solo riders and all RAW participants will be departing on June 14th. RAAM team riders will be departing on June 18th.

Race Across America (RAAM) is a 3,000-mile coast-to-coast race across the United States. RAAM is widely recognized as the world's toughest endurance bicycle race. The Race Across the West (RAW) is one of the world's top RAAM Qualifying events from Oceanside, CA to Durango, CO; 860 miles across the rugged American West.

Click here to learn more about Race Across America (RAAM) and Race Across the West (RAW)

 

 

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