The theme at the Delaware beaches this weekend is red, white and traffic.
That's right, it's the Fourth of July, the busiest week of the year in Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island. Multiple towns will host free, not-to-miss firework shows you can watch from the beach, but you've got to battle the thousands of other people on the roads to see them. And what if it rains?
Here's everything you need to know about Fourth of July weekend at the Delaware beaches.
Weather
Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be mostly sunny with temperatures around 80 degrees — great beach weather.
Thursday evening will bring clouds and a 50% chance of storms, according to the National Weather Service, and poor weather is predicted to continue into Friday morning. Friday's forecast is partly sunny with a 40% chance of rain and highs in the mid 80s.
More clouds are predicted for Friday night, with a chance of storms. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be mostly sunny with a 40% chance of storms and temperatures in the mid 80s again.
Don't let the threat of a storm ruin your beach day; they often come and go quickly in the summertime. Check the radar often , and look below to see what your town will do if it rains at fireworks time.
Traffic
Look, traffic is going to be bad this week, in the downtowns, on Coastal Highway and everywhere. There's no avoiding it.
Allow extra time to get where you're going and even more time to find parking. Bring stuff for the kids to do in the car. For fireworks especially, plan on being in traffic for at least an hour and likely more when leaving town. After the show, linger on the beach or downtown, eat, shop, be entertained — the later you leave, the less traffic there will be.
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Walking, biking, or taking the DART bus or a trolley are highly recommended. Parking at locations on Coastal Highway and walking downtown is worth it for fireworks in Rehoboth and Bethany — just make sure you wear good shoes.
Above all, be patient and obey the law. Make room for police, fire and ambulance vehicles.
Again for the people in the back: Be patient and obey the law!
Fourth of July celebrations
Lewes
"Go Fourth Lewes" has a full day of events in store for Thursday, July 4. There are free old-fashioned children's games, such as an egg toss and a sack race, on Second Street starting at 9 a.m. At noon, check out the 28th Annual July 4th Celebration and Car Show at Trinity Faith Christian Center on New Road. It features free food, a bounce house, hayrides, a DJ and more.
The boat parade, which starts at Roosevelt Inlet and heads southeast to downtown, begins at 1:30 p.m.
The Doo-Dah Parade is a uniquely Lewes tradition that has no official start time, but usually begins around 5 p.m. Anyone can participate by meeting in the area of Lloyd's Market on Savannah Road. The parade winds down Kings Highway to Second Street, then back down Savannah to end at Lloyd's.
Fireworks begin at dusk, launched from the bay off Lewes Beach.
If the fireworks are rained out, the rain date is the next day, Friday, July 5. More info at gofourthlewes.org.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Beach will celebrate the holiday Saturday, July 6.
Locals' favorite The Funsters will play a free concert at the bandstand, which starts at 8 p.m. and continues after the fireworks. Fireworks launch at dusk, or around 9:30 p.m., from the beach near Brooklyn Avenue.
"Because of the extra support personnel we have to bring in, we generally don’t have rain dates," city spokesperson Lynne Conan said. "We will do our very best to get the fireworks off on the scheduled date, even if we have to decide to go a bit early or hold and go late."
On Saturday, the city will institute the following traffic and parking rules:
- The Rehoboth Avenue bandstand area will be closed to traffic between 6 p.m. to midnight.
- Henlopen and Surf avenues will be open to bus and resident traffic only beginning at 7 p.m. Residents of Henlopen Avenue, Henlopen Acres and North Shores should use Second Street.
- Beginning at 7 p.m., the circle on Rehoboth Avenue will be open to east and westbound traffic only.
- Beginning at 8 p.m., Rehoboth Avenue eastbound will close at Coastal Highway and all vehicles must enter town via State Road.
- After the fireworks, vehicles north of Rehoboth Avenue will be directed to exit via Rehoboth and Columbia avenues. Vehicles on the south side of Rehoboth Avenue will be directed to Hickman and Munson Streets to take State Road to Coastal Highway northbound or Bayard Avenue to Coastal Highway southbound.
- After the fireworks, DART bus riders can pick up the bus at the Henlopen Hotel.
- No parking will be allowed on Surf Avenue, in the convention center parking lot, in the bandstand area of Rehoboth Avenue, on Grenoble and Surfside places and at certain marked spaces on the ocean block of Hickman Street.
More info at cityofrehoboth.com.
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Dewey Beach
Highway One, the company that owns Dewey Beach bars such as the Bottle & Cork, the Rusty Rudder and northbeach, will host fireworks at dusk on Thursday, July 4. They'll be set off on a barge near McKinley Street on Rehoboth Bay. Contact the Rusty Rudder with questions at 302-227-3888.
Bethany Beach
Bethany Beach's Thursday, July 4, celebration begins with a parade at noon. It starts at Pennsylvania Avenue and Central Boulevard, traveling south on Pennsylvania Avenue, circling around on Cedarview Street and heading north on Atlantic Avenue to Ocean View Parkway.
There's a free concert from The 1974 at the bandstand at 7:30, followed by fireworks over the beach at dusk.
The Bethany Beach Trolley will not operate between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Any weather-related changes or cancellations will be posted at townofbethanybeach.com.
Fenwick Island
Fenwick Island doesn't host fireworks, but Saturday, July 6, is the annual town bonfire to support the Fenwick Island Beach Patrol. Festivities start at 7 p.m. on the beach at Bayard Street.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Everything to know about Fourth of July weekend at the Delaware beaches
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