July Fourth Fireworks, Parade and Picnic in Sausalito
Date: July 4, 2009
10:00 AM - Noon -- Parade Begins at 2nd and Main St. (Old Town) and goes down Bridgeway all the way to Dunphy Park (on the waterfront near City Hall). Floats, Bands, Clowns, Acrobats, Flowers, Balloons and Fun.
Noon - 4:00 PM -- 4th of July Picnic, Dunphy Park (See Map Below) Starting at 12:00 Noon there will be live music all day. Food, dancing, and family games.
4:30 - 9:00 PM at Gabrielson Park (by Ferry Pier) -- Beer, wine, BBQ (starting at 5:30 PM), live music by the Pulsators, and an international bar with Irish Coffees (starting at 7:00 PM), sponsored by the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce. To reserve a table for 6 people ($50-$100 based on location) or order wine or a specialty platter delivered to your picnic, call the Chamber at 415-331-7262 x202. The Chamber's flier for the event is available online here. The deadline for party platter reservations is Wednesday, July 1.
9:00 PM at Gabrielson Park (by Ferry Pier) -- Fireworks (set off from a barge in the Bay)
Price: Free
Donations
As of late June, only about half of the $25,000 needed to fund the Fireworks had been raised. This raises the danger that the event will lose money, which in these troubled times could mean no Sausalito fireworks in 2010.
You can donate directly to the Fireworks fund at the special Sausalito donations page.
Insider Tips
If you're coming to Sausalito from outside the city for the Fourth of July fireworks be sure to get here early. Every year as the first explosions light up the night sky a long line of would-be fireworks watchers is trailing down Bridgeway in both directions, and they have zero chance of finding parking spots before the show is over.
A lot of parking tickets get written on July 4 in Sausalito, so read posted signs carefully. If you're in a residential neighborhood and the sign says "residential permit required" it is very likely that you'll get a ticket for parking there. Better yet, get a reservation for a late dinner at a view restaurant and watch the Fourth of July fireworks spectacular from your window or your outside table! Our page on 4th of July Restaurant Reservations will give you some ideas on where to go.Watching the Fireworks from a Restaurant
A lot of parking tickets get written on July 4 in Sausalito, so read posted signs carefully. If you're in a residential neighborhood and the sign says "residential permit required" it is very likely that you'll get a ticket for parking there.
Google Map Instructions: Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out, the arrow keys to scroll the map, and the SAT button to see the satellite view.
Public Transit Back to San Francisco
If you're coming north from San Francisco, the Ferry service back to San Francisco ends before the fireworks begin, and cabs are not cheap.
Golden Gate Transit buses are running a Saturday schedule on July 4 and the link is here. As we read the chart, Route 80 is the only choice for returning to San Francisco that late, and it departs downtown Sausalito at 9:52, 10:51 and 11:51 PM.
The stops in San Francisco are at the Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza, Civic Center (Golden Gate & Polk), Mission & 1st and 8th & Folsom. Muni buses may also offer transfer options if you get off at the Bridge Toll Plaza.
Copyright (c) 2009, OurSausalito.com. All Rights Reserved.



Where do we sign up to participate in this the 4th of July parade?
We have a number of Biodiesel vehicles demonstrating "Independence (from foreign oil) day". :)
For photos of our participaion in the 4th of July, 2008
see: http://deamer.org/biofuels/albums/parade-08-07/index.html
warmly,
Bryn Deamer
http://biofuelsofmarin.com
Posted by: Bryn Deamer | 06/07/2009 at 05:21 PM
Bryn, my best guess is that calling the City of Sausalito Parks and Recreation Dept. will get you answers on what options are available for getting into the parade. We have found them to be very informative and easy to work with, so if they're not the right people to talk to I think they'll hook you up. The office number there is 415-289-4100.
If every business I dealt with were as pleasant and proactive as the people at City Hall in Sausalito, our family wouldn't have changed phone companies twice in five years!
Posted by: Editors | 06/07/2009 at 08:35 PM