4th of July Celebration in Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg has a lot planned for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.

For the 35th consecutive year, Gatlinburg will kick off America’s Independence Day with the nation’s first parade, which begins at 12am, Sunday, July 4. The Midnight Independence Day Parade generally brings about 100,000 spectators to the area and features a special military salute.

More than 100 units will make their way through the parade route, showcasing beautifully decorated floats, helium balloons, marching bands, horses and men and women of the armed forces. A parade-scale replica of the famous starship U.S.S. Enterprise from Riverside, Iowa and the Boyertown Alumni Marching Unit from Boyertown, Pennsylvania will appear. Other bands scheduled to appear in the Midnight Parade include the 129th Army Marching Band, the Nashville Suzuki Strings and Knoxville Pipe & Drum.

Then, on the night of July 4, Gatlinburg will host the “Stand Here” Fireworks Finale, a fireworks show that lights up the mountain skyline of Downtown Gatlinburg. The fireworks will appear around 10pm. The event is listed as a Top 20 event by the Southeast Tourism Society.

Also planned on July 4 is Gatlinburg’s River Raft Regatta. This popular event is open to anyone and takes place on the Little Pigeon River in Downtown Gatlinburg near Christ in the Smokies. The unmanned river raft race allows for anything floatable, except for balls and plastic eggs. In the past, families have entered boats made of matchsticks, rubber ducks and even floating rocks. Registration for the event takes place between 10am-noon on July 4, with the regatta beginning promptly at noon.

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