The Fourth of July is a great holiday for those of us who are not big on planning.

For so many other holidays or even summer activities, you might have to reserve your spot days or weeks in advance. Or you at least have to figure out how much you can spend on your planned fun activities.

But the Fourth of July celebrates our freedom. And in practical terms, that translates into lots of free events as well as events that free you from advanced planning. There are lots of fireworks shows, for example, where you can just walk to a spot, look up, and there you go. Same thing with parades.

The Fourth of July is also the first big event of the summer for most of us, and summer is the time when we all (hopefully) have a little more freedom, more time, more daylight, to get out and have fun. Here are some ideas for things to do on this Fourth of July in southern Maine, both celebrating and exercising your freedom.

THE BIG PARADE 

One of the biggest – if not the biggest – Fourth of July parades in Maine is held every year in downtown Bath, as part of the Bath Heritage Days festival. The parade begins Thursday at 10 a.m. from North and Lincoln streets, with marchers and floats heading down Centre Street and then north on Front Street to just beyond the Patten Free Library. The parade usually lasts about an hour, with about 100 groups, including bands, people on floats, classic cars, cheerleaders, dancers and all sort of exuberant folks. A good place to watch is from the grassy hill next to the library.

Because of Bath Heritage Days, there will be lots of other things to do while you’re in town for the parade. There will carnival rides and games on Commercial Street, a strawberry shortcake social in Library Park, food trucks and live musical acts on the Waterfront Stage from 2-10 p.m.

Bath Heritage Days also allows you to stretch your Fourth of July celebration out for several days, since the festival runs July 4-7. So the games, rides, vendors and musical performances will continue through Sunday. For a complete schedule and more info, go to visitbath.com/bath-heritage-days.

CITY LIGHTS

Portland’s Fourth of July Fireworks celebration will have a live musical soundtrack, for the first time since 2019. The Casco Bay Wind Symphony will perform a mix of patriotic music, popular tunes and symphonic pieces beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, in the Eastern Promenade park. The group will continue to play through the beginning of the fireworks show, which starts around 9:15 p.m. The rain date is Friday.

There will also be food trucks parked along the prom. People can sit on the grassy slope of the prom to watch the fireworks exploding over head, and some years the crowd has been estimated at 30,000 people or more. Some of the other spots in Portland that offer views of the fireworks include East End Beach, Fort Allen Park, Amethyst Park, Baxter Boulevard, Payson Park and Martin’s Point on Veranda Street. For more information, including a listing of Munjoy Hill street closings during the fireworks, go to portlandmaine.gov.

The last time there was music before and during Portland’s fireworks was in 2019, when the Portland Symphony performed, as it had done most years dating back to 2010. But because no private partner has come forward in recent years to help with costs, the PSO has not performed. The Casco Bay Wind Symphony, a volunteer nonprofit organization, is seeking sponsors to help stage the fireworks performance. For more information, go to cascobaywindsymphony.org. 

ROCKETS RED GLARE

The 4th of July Celebration at Bug Light in South Portland offers a chance to see the Portland fireworks from across the harbor at Bug Light Park. Not only is there less noise, but you can see the fireworks’ bright colors reflected in the water. The city of South Portland also stages its own event at the park. The Downeast Brass Band will pay from 6-8 p.m. and of food trucks on hand. For more information, search the event name on Facebook.

Earlier in the day Thursday, Bug Light Park is also hosting the Independence Day Classic Car Show, presented by Yankee Ford, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Nor-Easters Kite Club will also be there, with patriotic-themed kites. The event is hosted by the South Portland Historical Society, which has its museum adjacent to the park. At noon, there will be a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the museum’s front porch. For more information, search for the event’s name on Facebook.

BIKES AND BANDS

The Ocean Park 74th annual Independence Day Parade in Old Orchard Beach is famous for featuring lots of kids on bikes, with colorful and creative patriotic decorations. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at the Bell Tower on Temple Avenue. The parade is led by the color guard of the Ocean Park Band and will be followed immediately by the band performing at the bandstand.

Also in Old Orchard Beach, at 7 p.m., the 195th Army National Guard Band will give a free concert at the Seaside Pavilion. The music will include marches, wind band works and pieces by area composers. At 9:45 p.m., there’ll be fireworks over Old Orchard Beach near Palace Playland. If you miss that display, there is also a weekly summer fireworks show scheduled for the same spot and same time on Friday.

FREEDOM IN FREEPORT

Freeport hosts a classic small-town July 4th Parade on Main Street each year. This year’s parade will kick off at 10 a.m. with fire trucks, marching groups, antique cars and community organizations. But that’s just the beginning of Independence Day doings in the town. At 7:30 p.m., there’ll be a free concert in L.L. Bean’s Discovery Park, by Maine country band 12/OC. That will be followed by a fireworks show, beginning around 9:15 p.m.

LIBERTY IN LEWISTON

The Lewiston/Auburn Liberty Festival is two July 4 celebrations in one, with events on both sides of the Androscoggin River. The fun begins at 5 p.m. in Veterans Park in Lewiston and at 6 p.m. at Great Falls Plaza in Lewiston. Nationally known Elvis Presley impersonator Robert Washington, the group Bazinga and the LA/Harley Band will perform in Lewiston, while there will be a dance party and karaoke with DJ Scotty Dawg in Auburn. Fireworks will begin around 9:30 p.m., with a rain date of Friday.

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