Nearly two decades ago, Guilford County leaders had a novel idea regarding a good way to celebrate July 4th. The idea was to shoot controlled explosive devices into the air, ones that expand loudly into moving bright colorful patterns. The event has been going on ever since, and it’s in that tradition that Guilford County Parks staff is inviting residents of the county – and, well, anyone really – to kick off their Independence Day celebrations at the park.
The county’s 17th Annual Fireworks Extravaganza at Northeast Park will feature Guilford County’s largest fireworks display. Set your GPS to 3441 Northeast Park Drive in Gibsonville – but don’t come on Thursday, July 4th. The fireworks show will be on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
Generally, county parks staff waits until after dark to hold the show since that enhances the effect. The fireworks display is scheduled to light up the sky at 9:30 p.m.
The festivities, however, will begin earlier than that. Starting at 4 p.m. at the park, there will be a wide variety of family-friendly activities, including carnival rides, mini-golf, music and a variety of food trucks.
At 6 p.m., attendees will be treated to a live performance by perhaps the most famous beach music group of all time – Chairmen of the Board.
Unlike many county events, admission isn’t free. It’s $10 per car and $1 per walk-up. That’s cash only, and exact change is strongly encouraged.
Also, given the anticipated large turnout, visitors are encouraged to carpool and arrive early since the gates will close once the park reaches capacity.
Ride tickets are priced at $2 each or you can get 14 tickets for $20, with rides requiring 1 to 4 tickets each.
Sadly, there is still no kiddie train at the park.
Firearms, personal fireworks, alcoholic beverages and pets – with the exception of service animals – aren’t allowed in the Park.
Attendees can subscribe to the text alert system by texting ‘NEPARK’ to 888-777 to receive real-time public safety notifications regarding the event.
For further details on the 2024 Fireworks Extravaganza, you can visit www.guilfordparks.com. You can also follow Guilford County Parks on Facebook.
