La Jolla Cove fireworks are canceled again this year but the community has two neighborhood parades – Beaumont Avenue in Bird Rock and the Beach-Barber Tract – as well as the annual La Jolla Country Club fireworks display. The private club’s pyrotechnics will take place on Monday, July 4.
There are also two fireworks displays being held over Mission Bay – one on July 3, and another on the Fourth. Ocean Beach will not hold a fireworks display this year due to structural problems with the OB Pier where they’re launched from.
MISSION BAY FIREWORKS
Mission Bay A holiday fireworks show will take place on Mission Bay at 9 p.m. on Sunday, July 3. The San Diego community collectively raised more than $45,000 in just a few weeks via a GoFundMe page started by Mission Bay Yacht Club’s Kathy Dryden, for the necessary permit and barge to be acquired.
This year, Mission Bay’s fireworks will launch from near Mission Bay Yacht Club. For the best views of the fireworks and accompanying experiences and packages, various businesses and hotel properties around Mission Bay are offering special programming to make it an unforgettable summer evening for the whole family.
Mission Bay Yacht Club’s GoFundMe page is continuing to accept donations up until the event, hoping to reach its goal of $60,000. To support the show and its continuation, visit gofundme.com/f/4th-of-july-fireworks-on-mission-bay.
“Since having to halt the fireworks in 2012, and after enduring a few challenging years with the pandemic, it’s exciting to have a beloved Mission Bay tradition come back to life and become a reality again,” said George Allen of Noble House Hotels & Resorts.
SEAWORLD FIREWORKS
SeaWorld is celebrating Independence Day with a variety of special events around the park from July 2-4, including a flag ceremony, performances by the Marine Band San Diego, live entertainment at multiple stages, military recognition and presentations, and fireworks show. The extended 15-minute Independence Day Fireworks Spectacular show on July 4 is set to a festive and patriotic musical soundtrack that will start at 8:50 p.m.
BIRD ROCK PARADE
Bird Rock’s 43rd annual Beaumont Avenue Fourth of July Parade with a timely “Top Gun” theme this year is being led by a Bird Rock Parade Committee chaired by local contractors Russell and Scott Murfey. Area residents are being urged to decorate their homes in patriotic colors with “Top Gun” décor. Organizers are also asking residents to donate funds to help pay for the food and entertainment at this volunteer-run event.
The parade starts at 10 a.m. at the corner of Camino de la Costa and Beaumont Avenue and ends at Mira Monte. Neighborhood children in patriotic attire will walk, trike, bike, scooter, or ride on a float down the parade route. After the parade, there will be a 4th of July celebration and party behind the La Jolla Methodist Church at 6063 La Jolla Blvd. with food, entertainment, and plenty of family activities.
“We did hold the parade last year, and it was a nice way to come back out of the pandemic,” said Russ Murfey. “This year, people are really looking forward to it. What is special is it is a community event that draws a lot of people together. It is part of the history and the fabric of the neighborhood.”
Murfey noted the celebration is a real crowd-pleaser. “People love that it is an opportunity to see old friends, family, and neighbors,” he said. “There are also a lot of exciting floats that people build. There are trophies for best floats and best-decorated houses. We really encourage everyone to go all out and get dressed up with a ‘Top Gun’ theme this year.”
Of this year’s theme, Murfey noted: “It’s clearly patriotic and relevant in today’s world. It’s just a great opportunity to celebrate America and America’s birthday.”
Murfey added parade organizers still need donations to fund the holiday happening, as well as volunteers to help carry out the parade. Visit the parade’s GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/2022birdrockparade for more information.
BEACH-BARBER TRACT
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the neighborhood parade is back for more starting at 10 a.m. with music and residents marching down various streets to White Sands retirement home and back. Locals wrap their historic homes in patriotic bunting and dress up as Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam. Participants drive golf courts decked out with old glory while residents showcase their canines in strollers outfitted with balloons.
For decades, this annual, quaint homespun Independence Day parade has been a cherished tradition, noted Kurt Iuli-Kinsey, Barber Tract Neighborhood Association president. “It was started by Max Elliott, our Uncle Sam, who kicks off the event with a little speech,” said Iuli-Kinsey. “People bring their dogs, their wagons, and some dress up.”
Iuli-Kinsey said the parade route goes south on Monte Vista to Fern Glen, then left on Olivetas proceeding to White Sands retirement center. “It’s always a fun thing for the seniors to come out on their balconies and participate,” he said.
The parade was begun by Elliott 45 years ago after moving to the neighborhood, according to Iuli-Kinsey because “he wanted something to connect the kids that summer and do something patriotic and fun. And it has just continued ever since.”
Iuli-Kinsey noted the holiday event “is an old-school parade with balloons and floats and people celebrating the birth of our country. If you want something fun, old-fashioned, and want a glimpse from the past: This is the parade to go to, and people have been doing it for 45 years.”
For more information, visit barbertract.com.
LA JOLLA COUNTRY CLUB
The club has held an annual private fireworks display for years for its members in the Jewel. But as club general manager Mike Mooney points out, “The public can see and enjoy them up in the sky from their streets and homes and a lot of our adjacent homes have parties in their backyards and watch.”
Mooney noted the club’s fireworks display will kick off again this year on the Fourth for about 25 minutes at 8:30 p.m. That start time was a half-hour before the Cove fireworks display, which was discontinued last year due to permitting issues and conflicts with coastal wildlife protection.
“We shoot them off our golf course with the fire marshal’s permission and all the necessary permitting,” noted Mooney of their display. “We do a big picnic dinner, and then have the fireworks. Neighbors and the community are welcome to enjoy them from a distance.”
