Park City’s Fourth of July celebration is a big party with a small-town feel.
The event attracts upwards of 30,000 people, starts early in the morning with a 5K race and continues throughout the day with a parade, rugby tournament, live music, food, and volleyball.
The day culminates with a drone show that replaced fireworks last year at Park City Mountain.
July 4th Morning Events
This year’s July 4th fun will be held on a Thursday and will kick off at 8 a.m. with the 5K run that is a fundraiser for Park City Ski and Snowboard. This race has a history that reaches back to the early 1980s. Each year roughly 900 to 1300 runners, ranging in ages and abilities, participate in the race, and for many, the event signals the start to their summer.
Around 9 a.m., the Rodney Schreurs Fallen Officer Memorial ceremony will take place at Rodney Schreurs Park, 600 Main St. Schreurs died on July 4, 1984, after a driver hit him as he was directing traffic at the S.R. 224-Payday Drive intersection after the fireworks. He was 33.
Following the ceremony, the Friends of the Park City Library will host its annual used book sale (which is also open on July 5) at the Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave.
Fourth of July Parade
Two of the town’s main July 4th attractions are the Air Force flyover and the Fourth of July parade on Main Street that usually start around 11 a.m. The parade, which travels from the top of Main Street before it turns left on 9th Street, and then right onto Park Avenue to finish at City Park, features homemade floats created by local Summit County residents or businesses who have registered in advance for the event.
During the parade, a jury will cast votes on the floats in the following categories:
• Community Spirit
• Humor & Funk
• Youth Award
• Heritage/Traditions/History
• Environmental Sustainability
The crowd will be able to vote on its favorite float as well.
Speaking of the crowd, people start staking their claims on either side of Main Street in the morning so they can see the string of colorful floats, marching bands, and other local participants.
July 4th Daytime Activities
Throughout the day, Park City’s Fourth of July volleyball tournament, kids games, live music, and a barbecue will entertain and feed revelers at City Park.
Independence Day Rugby Tournament
The park is also the setting for the annual Independence Day rugby tournament scheduled to start around 12:30 p.m.
While baseball is typically seen as the American summer pastime, it’s rugby in Park City, and the annual Independence Day rugby game, which takes place at the north end of the park, dates back to the early 1970s.
Back then, the Muckers would face archrivals, the Haggis club from Salt Lake City, in front of thousands of spectators. The tournament has changed over the years, and the two teams merged to form the Haggis Rugby Club. And that merger has kept rugby alive in Park City, in what has turned into a community event and fundraiser for the club.
Fourth of July Light Show
Of course, what would the Fourth of July be without some sort of light show. In the past it was fireworks, but with the increasing danger of wildfires, like the 2021 Parleys Canyon Fire that burned 541 acres and led to the evacuations of neighborhoods in parts of the Snyderville Basin, Park City introduced a 250 lighted drone show last year.
Not only are drones safer when it comes to wildfire, they are quiet, which is beneficial to pets, wildlife, and veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Great views of the drone show can be taken in at the resort, but also Park City Golf Course, City Park, and lower Main Street.
For information about Park City’s Fourth of July celebration, visit visitparkcity.org.