With Fourth of July weeks away, the Cap Times assembled a list of where to go for music, parades, food and fireworks to celebrate the holiday.
Verona Festival Foods fireworks show
9:30 p.m.
531 E. Verona Ave., Verona
Kick off your Fourth of July festivities and head over to Hometown USA Festival Park to see a fireworks show light up the sky.
DeForest Fourth of July Celebration
3 p.m. to midnight
Fireman’s Park (at the corner of DeForest Street and South Durkee Street), DeForest
DeForest’s largest summer event has live entertainment, inflatables and a rock wall and will end with a fireworks display at dusk. Want more than just one day of festivities? Return the following day for a Freedom Run (5k, 10k and one-mile fun run), car show and parade.
Norsk Golf Club Fourth of July Celebration
4 p.m.
2755 Norsk Golf Bowl Road, Mount Horeb
The nine-hole golf course and bowling alley will host its ninth anniversary celebration with a full lineup of live music, food stands and a fireworks show at dusk.
Festival Foods fireworks show
9:30 p.m.
2920 N. Sherman Ave., Madison
Stick around after the Madison Mallards game, which starts at 5:35 p.m., and take the field to watch the Festival Foods fireworks show over Warner Park.
WaunaBoom
2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
213 Dorn Drive, Waunakee
The village of Waunakee will host its annual “WaunaBoom” at Ripp Park. The event has live music, a petting zoo, a Black Hawk fly-in by the 147th Aviation Regiment and an F-35 flyover by the 115th Fighter Wing. Free movies will be shown, including “Monsters, Inc.” and “The Incredibles.” The fireworks display, choreographed to music, is at 9:45 p.m. Admission is free.
Fourth Fest at the Edgewater
2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
1001 Wisconsin Place, Madison
Featuring live music from Natty Nation, a tent dedicated to kid-friendly activities and two water shows from the Mad City Water Ski Team on Lake Mendota, the Edgewater will host its annual Fourth Fest.
Fireworks with the Madison Night Mares
4:05 p.m.
2920 N. Sherman Ave., Madison
Madison’s softball team, the Night Mares, will host a fireworks show following the team’s game against the Wausau Ignite. Fans will be welcome on the field after the game to watch the display.
Monona Community Festival
9:20 p.m.
1055 Nichols Road, Monona
Taking place over two days on Thursday and Friday, the Monona Community Festival at Winnequah Park is one of the largest and longest-running Fourth of July celebrations in southern Wisconsin. Admission is free. Fireworks start at dusk.
Last year, organizers announced the festival’s ending due to lack of volunteers, increased costs and new regulations. This January, the festival announced its return. Organizers credited the advocacy of community members (one Facebook group made to “ensure the festival will continue” has over 700 members) and collaboration between outgoing and incoming Monona Community Festival members as ways the festival was saved.
Stoughton Fair
At dusk
400 Mandt Parkway, Stoughton
For day four of the Stoughton Fair — following a day of pie eating contests, a petting zoo and livestock shows — join the festivities at dusk for a fireworks show. The fair will start on Tuesday, July 1, and end on Sunday, July 6. Stoughton Fair is a free community event.
Fire on the River
9:30 p.m.
Sauk City Riverwalk
A fireworks display over the Wisconsin River will close out Fire on the River’s day of live music, family-friendly activities, a beer and wine garden, and a car show.
Isabelle Dunai is reporting for the Cap Times in 2025 as the David Maraniss Fellow. She is pursuing a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Email story ideas and tips to Isabelle at [email protected].