Pictured: Annual fireworks celebration on Siesta Beach. Photo courtesy of Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce.

The patriotic spirit is alive and well on Florida’s Gulf Coast this Independence Day, with plenty of fireworks, festivities and live music for all to enjoy. The team at Nathan Benderson Park kicked things off on July 3 with their annual Fireworks On The Lake celebration. “This is a great event where the whole community comes together. We anticipate about 15 to 20,000 people based on previous years,” says Marnie Buchsbaum, the Marketing Director at Nathan Benderson Park. “There’s a Mote Marine kids zone, bouncy houses, food vendors, craft vendors, music from Twinkle & Rock Soul Radio and we’ll have IHeart radio here as well. It’s going to be a beautiful night, the fireworks reflected off the lake are always spectacular.”

Independence Day itself is filled with more fireworks displays than one can count, however, there are a couple in particular that pyrotechnic enthusiasts can look out for. In Bradenton, Bradenton Alive is hosting the official Manatee County Fourth of July Celebration from 3pm to approximately 9:30pm. The event, which is free of charge and takes place on Bradenton’s Riverwalk Pavilion, has a bevy of different activities from live music to food trucks and of course, a massive fireworks display. “We’re going to have two bands down there, Emmet Stevens Jr. who is a Nashville recording artist and 22N, a very popular local band down here. We’ll have food trucks, merchandise vendors, a Jeep meet—we’ll have about 25 high-end Jeeps from the Bradenton Jeep Club showing off their vehicles,” says David Lay, the owner of Nightlife Productions, the company behind Bradenton Alive. “Finally, at 9:15pm they’re going to set off the fireworks to music right there on the Green Bridge.”

Over on Siesta Key, the country’s top-ranked beach is hosting their annual fireworks show, free of charge to all attending. The show, which begins at dusk and runs for approximately 25 minutes, is visible all along Siesta Beach and is one of the most iconic Fourth of July celebrations on the Gulf Coast.

Pictured: Annual fireworks celebration on Siesta Beach. Photo courtesy of Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce.