Fourth of July Fireworks, Parade, Picnic

 

4th of July Fireworks, Parade and Picnic in Sausalito: The Best Fireworks in Marin County

Sausalito has what we think is the best 4th of July fireworks show in Marin County.

Date:  July 4, 2011

10:00 AM - Noon --  Parade Begins at 2nd and Main St. (Old Town) and goes down Bridgeway and then Caledonia all the way to Dunphy Park (on the waterfront near City Hall).  Bands (both the kinds with 76 trombones and the kinds that play stuff by the Stones) , Floats, Politicians, Clowns, Acrobats, Flowers, Balloons and Fun.  When the Parade arrives at Dunphy Park it's time for....

Noon to 5:00 PM  --  4th of July Picnic, Dunphy Park  (See Map Below)  Starting at 12:00 Noon there will be live music all day.  There will be family games, and food will be sold by local non-profits.

8:00 AM to Noon --  4th of July Pancake Breakfast.  Sparrow Creek Montessori School will hold its 16th annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon at 304 Caledonia St.,  on the main parade route.  All raffle and breakfast proceeds go to the school's scholarship fund.

6:30 - 9:30 PM at Gabrielson Park (by Ferry Pier) --  Food and beverages will be available for sale,and there will be live music.  To reserve a table for 6 people ($100 each) call the City at 415-289-4152, and there will also be lawn seating.  Fireworks will be set off from a barge in the Bay.

Price:  All events other than the tables at the dinner in Gabrielson Park are free -- you only pay for food.

 

 

Update:  Official Winners of the Sausalito 4th of July Parade 2011

 

BEST OVERALL PRESENTATION:

1st: Sausalito Nursery School AND Willow Creek Academy (tie)

2nd Sausalito Village 

3rd Sausalito Womans Club 

BEST FLOAT:  Sausalito Community Gardens 
BEST MUSIC:  Doc Kraft, playing on the Sausalito Seahorse Float 
BEST CAR:  1976 Cadillac El Dorado Convertible (King Family) 

 

Donations

You can donate money year-round to help pay for the cost of the Fireworks -- the City takes the risk of fronting the money but each year we have to raise enough in donations so that the money is repaid and we can have fireworks again the next year.

 

Insider Tips

If you're coming to Sausalito from outside the city for the Fourth of July fireworks be sure to get here at least two hours early.  Yes, we really said two hours... and that's if you're OK with walking a long ways from northern Sausalito.  To park normally downtown, plan on spending the day here.

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 when late arrivals drive up into the residential neighborhoods where visitor parking is not permitted, 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.  Even on the 4th of July they make time to write the tickets.

 

Watching the Fireworks from a Restaurant

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.

Note:  The parade route actually goes up Caledonia St. for the last few blocks before reaching Dunphy Park.  When we tried to add this to the Google Map below  their system started painting arrows everywhere so the route below just shows the path on Bridgeway.  I guess we won't win the "Google Map Artists of the Year Award" again in 2011.

 

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.

View Larger Map

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.

 

Comments

[Bryn Deamer]

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

[Editors]

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!

[L]

How can we donate to the Fireworks fund? The link posted for donations for the Fireworks fund is not working...

[Editors]

Hi, L -- This info was from 2009. We just got the first 2010 information yesterday and will update shortly. You can always call City Hall on these kinds of things as well. Thanks for asking!

[Puma Shoes]

You are amazing! I love you this style!

[Puma Shoes]

You are amazing! I love you this style!

[Jenniferandkids]

Clowns, acrobats AND politicians! Oh My!