Procession kicks off from Boston City Hall Plaza at 9 a.m. and meanders to the Old State House for the annual reading of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

Holiday revelers say there’s no other place they’d rather be to celebrate America’s 249th birthday than Boston, coming out early and often for Fourth of July festivities.

Boston, MA- 7/4/25- The gates opened at noon at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River, welcoming in thousands of attendees to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on July Fourth. Attendees bring umbrellas and tents to offer shade as they wait for the concert to begin at 7pm followed by fireworks. (Heather Diehl for the Boston Globe)