Showing up at a park to stuff your face with pie or watermelon might not be what you are into. Good ol’ fashioned rodeos, rallies and horseshoe games probably aren’t your style either. Or maybe you don’t like cozying up in blankets and camp chairs to watch movies or fireworks.
But in case those are just the kinds of activities you would want to do on a hot, festive Fourth of July in 2024, this is a good place to find where it’s all happening.
Here are the details for the Fourth of July activities in small towns of Piute, Wayne and Garfield counties.
Piute County Fourth of July Activities
Piute County splits up its three big holidays (4th and 24th of July and Butch Cassidy Days) between Circleville, Marysvale and Junction. The biggest Fourth of July celebration is in Circleville. The city doing official fireworks this year is also Circleville. Marysvale does not have its own Fourth of July celebration. Members of all four towns usually share in each other’s events.
Kingston
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | 9:00 a.m. | Parade | Free | Kingston Town |
Junction
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | 12:00 p.m. | Lunch | $10 adults $5 kids | Junction Park |
| Following lunch | Races, activities, cake walk | Wristbands: $3 tickets $0.50 cake walk | Junction Park | |
| Following lunch | Bingo | $10 a card | Junction Park |
Circleville
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | 10:00 a.m. | Parade | Free | Circleville Elementary School then north down Center Street |
| 11:00 a.m. | Program | Free | Circleville Town Building | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch | $8 per person or $35 per family (immediate Family Only) | Circleville Elementary gym | |
| 1:00 p.m. | Races (all age groups, prizes for participants) | Free | Softball field | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Midway, games, water games, and live music | Wristbands: $5 water games $0.50 Midway | Softball field | |
| 1:30 p.m. | PTO bingo | $10 per card | Circleville Town Building | |
| 3:00 p.m. | Co-ed softball tournament | Free | Softball field | |
| Dusk | Fireworks | Free | Circleville |
Wayne County Fourth of July Activities
Torrey and Hanksville each have large Fourth of July celebrations lasting two or three days. Torrey’s famous Apple Days is a celebration of the town’s roots as an apple orchard community as well as a chance to do Fourth of July activities. The cities doing official fireworks are Torrey, Hanksville and Lyman. Bicknell does not have its own Fourth of July celebration.
Torrey
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 5 | 5:00-7:00 p.m. | Community dinner | Free | Torrey Park |
| 7:30 p.m. | Patriotic program | Free | LDS Church | |
| Dusk | Star Party in the Park | Free | Torrey Park | |
| July 6 | 7:00-7:30 a.m. | Race for the Apple | $15 entry | Town Hall |
| 7:00-9:00 a.m. | Breakfast by young women and young men. | Free | Torrey Park | |
| 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | CCAW yard sale | $ | The Old House at Center & Main | |
| 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. | Apple Days Car Show | Free | Church parking lot | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Parade* | Free | Main Street from 200 E. to 200 W. | |
| 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Carnival/Swap Meet* | Wristbands: $25 all-inclusive $20 nerf $15 carnival | Torrey Park | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Pie-eating contest | $5 entry | Torrey Park | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Team events | Free | Torrey Park | |
| 3:00 p.m. | Apple race, after which race and raffle winners are announced | Buy your apples at The Chuckwagon. | Torrey Trading Post Bridge | |
| 7:00 p.m. | Bingo | Free | Torrey Park | |
| 9:00 p.m. | Big Apple Dance | Free | Big Apple | |
| Dusk | Fireworks | Free | Torrey Park |
Hanksville
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | 7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. | Breakfast by young men | Free | Hanksville Park |
| 10:00 a.m. | Parade | Free | Stan’s Burger Shak to Church of Jesus Christ. | |
| After the parade | American heritage program | Free | Old Rock Church | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch by Daughters of Utah Pioneers | Free | Hanksville Firehouse | |
| 1:00 p.m. | Games | Free | Hanksville Park | |
| 6:00 p.m. | T-ball and softball | Free | Hanksville Park | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Horseshoes and music* | $5 entry | Rodeo Grounds | |
| 10:00 p.m. or Dusk | Fireworks | Free | Hanksville Park | |
| July 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Gymkhana* | $10 per event. Free for spectators. | Rodeo Grounds |
| July 6 | 7:00 p.m. | ATV Rodeo | $ | Rodeo Grounds |
| After the rodeo | Family-friendly movie night under the stars | Free | Hanksville Park |
Lyman
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | Dusk | Fireworks | Free | Lyman Park |
Garfield County Fourth of July Activities
Garfield County’s biggest Fourth of July celebration is in Tropic, though it is rivaled by the one Boulder. The cities doing official fireworks are Panguitch, Antimony and Bryce. Cannonville does not have its own Fourth of July celebration but takes part in activities sponsored by the other towns.
Escalante
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | 4:00 p.m. | Patriotic program | Free | Escalante High School |
| After the program | Escalante City potluck | Free. Bring a salad or dessert to share. | Heritage Park |
Boulder
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 3 | 6:30 p.m. | Ice cream social and talent show | Free | Boulder Mountain Lodge |
| July 4 | 10:00 a.m. | Parade. Lineup at 9:30, followed by a flag ceremony. | Free | Corner of Burr Trail and Hwy 12 to Boulder Park. |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch | $10 per person or $25 per group of four.* | Boulder Park | |
| Afternoon | Games | Free | Boulder Park | |
| Dusk | Field of Dreams showing. | Free | Boulder Park | |
| July 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Line dancing | Free | Boulder Park |
Panguitch
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | Dusk | Fireworks | Free | Garfield County Fairgrounds (Triple C Arena) |
Antimony
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | 7:00 a.m. | Breakfast | Free | Antimony Park |
| 7:30 a.m. | 5K & mile fun run | Free | Community Center | |
| 10:30 a.m. | Parade | Free | Rockin R Ranch and down Main Street | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Lunch, bingo and games | Free | Antimony Park | |
| 2:00 p.m. | Bingo | $10 per card | Community Center | |
| Dusk | Fireworks | Free | Otter Creek Reservoir | |
| July 6 | 12:00 p.m. | Cornhole tournament* | Free | Antimony Mercantile RV Park |
Tropic
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Talent Show and Ice Cream Social | Free | Cannonville Park |
| 9:00-11:00 p.m. | Stage Stop Stomp dance | Free | Stage Stop parking lot | |
| July 4 | 10:00 a.m. | Parade. Competition and lineup at 9:30.* | Free | Bryce Valley High School parking lot to Tropic Park |
| 10:30-11:00 a.m. | Program and Battle of the Families* | Free | Tropic Park | |
| 11:30 a.m. | Games, festivities and food | $** $10 Navajo taco $8 Hamburger meal $6 Hot dog meal | Tropic Park | |
| 5:00-7:00 p.m. | Fire Departments’ all-you-can-eat Pit Barbecue | $10 kids 3-10 $15 adults | Tropic Park |
** The Bryce Valley High School juniors usually sell lunch. Other treats and goods are available from various vendors. Wristbands are needed for games.
Read about Tropic’s 2023 Fourth of July celebration in Fantastic 4th of July Celebrations in Bryce Valley by Abbie Call.
Henrieville
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | 8:30 a.m. | Flag raising | Free | Henrieville Town Hall |
| 9:00 a.m. | Parade | Free | East side of the park | |
| After the parade | Games and lunch | Free. Bring a dessert to share. | Henrieville Park |
Bryce
| Date | Time | Activity | Cost | Place |
| July 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Jackpot Rodeo | $12 kids 5-11 $17 adults | Bryce Canyon Country Rodeo grounds |
| Dusk | Fireworks | Free | Ruby’s Inn/Bryce Canyon Country Rodeo parking lot |
Garfield County along with others in Southwestern Utah are under a stage one fire restriction, which means doing fireworks in unincorporated areas or on state lands is prohibited. Panguitch, Antimony and Bryce Canyon City will still have fireworks by the fire departments within city limits.
Many towns have also placed fireworks restrictions. Check with local fire departments and authorities for localized information.
– by Abbie Call and Ari Hurdsman
Feature image caption: Fireworks light the sky on the night of the 4th of July, 2023, in Bryce Canyon City. Courtesy of Abbie Call, The Byway.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].
Ari Hurdsman – Junction
Ari Hurdsman is a junior journalist at the Byway. She just recently moved to Ephraim, Utah, where she is a freshman at Snow College. She enjoys writing about Piute sports, and she’s really good at it! In her free time, she enjoys singing, dancing, reading and hanging out with friends and family.