Your Independence Day weekend guide: Fireworks, family fun, and free events!

Above photo courtesy of Heinz History Center and the Fort Pitt Museum.

This Independence Day weekend, there’s no shortage of events big and small. From Downtown’s celebration to smaller community events, there is sure to be a gathering just right for your family. There is also a great selection of outdoor, library and learning activities all weekend long.

July is also National Ice Cream Month, so check out this local guide from our friends at City Cast Pittsburgh and grab a sweet treat while you’re enjoying some family fun. Get July started right with these weekend events:

Through Saturday, July 5: Big Butler Fair

Kids will love seeing the animals at the petting zoo, as well as the competing livestock. And the School Bus Demolition Derby, harness racing and truck-and-tractor pulls are favorites among the grandstand events. There’s lots more – fireworks, country music concerts and all the delicious carnival food you crave. Admission is $9, free for ages 6 and younger. Ride-all-day carnival wristbands are $30.

Friday, July 4: Fourth at the Fort at the Fort Pitt Museum, 11 a.m.

Despite ongoing construction in Point State Park, the Fort Pitt Museum will remain open and host its annual “Fourth at the Fort” celebration this Independence Day. The free event begins with a patriotic 36-foot flag-raising ceremony held in the Fort Pitt Block House yard — the region’s oldest building — in partnership with the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, followed by family-friendly living history demonstrations. Find details about this event and the Fort Pitt museum here.

Friday, July 4: Celebrate the Fourth of July at Acrisure Stadium.

This Independence Day, there’s lots of fun to be had at Acrisure Stadium before (and during!) the fireworks. The Steelers Hall of Honor Museum is dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating Steelers football history, and it will be open on July 4 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. so that families can take a tour before finding a spot to watch the fireworks. Get Hall of Honor Museum details here. There will also be tours of Acrisure Stadium, including a special tour that ends with a great spot for watching the fireworks. Learn more about Acrisure Stadium here.

Saturday, July 4: Independence Day Celebration, North Shore

Beginning at 4 p.m., the City of Pittsburgh celebration will feature free activities at the Family Fun Zone, as well as music and entertainment on the North Shore Great Lawn. The People’s Food Truck Corral will serve up local cuisines. The day’s main attraction, the spectacular Independence Day Fireworks, will begin at 9:35 p.m. Find details here.

Saturday, July 5: Storytime at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 10 a.m.

Join museum staff for Storytime at the Museum! Hear nature and science stories read by Natural History Interpreters. Guests will also get a chance to touch museum specimens. Stop by for one page, one book, or stay for the whole 45 minutes. This activity meets at the bench in the entrance of Dinosaurs in Their Time. Registration is not required, and more info can be found here.

Saturday, July 5: “Inside Out” at the Carnegie Museum of Art, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Twice a week, now through Aug. 22, the CMOA is taking their creativity outdoors. On Saturdays, bring out the whole family for some free fun. From 10 to 11 a.m., there will be all-ages yoga led by YOGAMOTIF and MICHIYAYA. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., gather to imagine, relax, play and create while immersed in art and performance by regional arts organizations, dance companies and creative collaborations. Find details about each individual event here. (And on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., have a date night and dance your heart out or relax into magic hour as DJs, musicians and dancers transform the Sculpture Court into a can’t-miss happy hour.)

Saturday, July 5: Anthrocon Fursuit Parade & Block Party, 2 p.m. 

Larger-than-life furry creatures will be closing down the street of Penn Avenue between 9th Avenue and 11th Street for two public events: the Fursuit Parade that begins at 2 p.m. and then the Anthrocon Block Party in front of the David Lawrence Convention Center. Attending this event is totally free.

Saturday, July 5 and Sunday, July 6: Animals on the Frontier with Ravenwood Farm, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Pathways to the Past is an immersive program for Braddock’s Battlefield History Center’s visitors to learn more about the lives of everyday people in the mid-18th century. This weekend, they will be hosting Ravenwood Farm’s mobile petting zoo! Get up close and personal with mini Highland Cows, Valais Blacknose Sheep, KuneKune Pigs and Nigerian Dwarf Goats. While not the exact animals that the French or British military would have brought to the area in 1755, they represent the farm animals that normally accompanied the army to grow animal husbandry at the Point in the mid-18th century — goats, sheep, pigs, and cows. This event is part of regular admission, which ranges from $1 to $8.

Saturday, July 5: Summer Explorer Series at The Frick Pittsburgh, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Explore the Frick in new ways every Tuesday and Saturday throughout the summer. These free drop-in activities will change each week to engage visitors of all ages in a variety of ways, including art-making, historical exploration, storytelling, and play. Grab a Summer Explorer passport at the Grable Visitor Center and win a prize when you complete 5 activities. Find details about this fun new program here.

Sunday, July 6: Liberty Day at Oliver Miller Homestead, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This annual event recognizes the Miller boys’ involvement in the Revolutionary War. Raise a Liberty Pole to honor vets who’ve served throughout the years. A reading of the Declaration of Independence is followed by the firing of guns and a round of firecrackers. Admission is $2.

Sunday, July 6: North Boroughs Community Day, 6 p.m. 

The North Boroughs Community Day is designed to celebrate the neighborhoods of Avalon, Bellevue, Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, Emsworth and Kilbuck, while providing a day of family fun, complete with live music and topped off by a delightful fireworks display. Find details about this free event here.

Keep the fun going all summer long with even more family events (most of them free!!). Sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter right here.