JULY 4, 2021, ACTIVITIES PLANNED IN BEL AIR
Bel Air Independence Day Committee Plans Return of Fireworks, Parade
The Bel Air Independence Day Committee, Inc., the independent all-volunteer entity that manages the July 4 festivities in the Town of Bel Air, Maryland, announces that it is planning to hold the traditional festivities in Bel Air on July 4, 2021, including the Independence Day parade at 6 pm on Sunday, July 4, 2021, and the fireworks display at about 9:30 pm later that same evening, pending its ability to meet public health guidelines.
Committee President Don Stewart states, "We had to cancel all July 4 activities for 2020 to protect our community, so we are pleased and hopeful that we can ‘return to normal celebrations’ this year, and we are currently working towards that, in consultation with town, county and state officials."
Each year, the all-volunteer Bel Air Independence Day Committee organizes and plans the day-long event months in advance of July 4, including the securing of contracts, coverage, and agreements with deadlines.
"Vaccination percentages are growing and civic activities are recovering from their cessation during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we feel that we can now move forward with the necessary planning and organization process to hold the traditional parade down Main Street," states Parade Chairman and Committee Vice-President Michael Blum. "Of course, we are implementing health safety measures both in the staging and the parade deployment," Blum adds.
"We will most likely need more Parade Marshals than ever before," Blum says, “so we are reaching out to the greater Bel Air community for help. Anyone interested in being a Parade Marshal should go to our VOLUNTEER page and fill out the volunteer form."
Daytime events, including Horse-shoe Pitching, Watermelon Eating, and Uncle Sam Says, are also planned to return, with the addition of social distancing and audience limiting. "Specific details and restrictions will be announced in late June, based on health and safety guidelines in effect at that time," says Don Stewart.
The current Miss Bel Air Independence Day, Chiamaka Ezeonyebuchi, who retains that title throughout 2021 and who plans to compete in the Miss Maryland pageant in late June 2021, will be the official hostess of all events and the Grand Marshal of the parade. Her successor to the title will be chosen in early 2022.
Welcome to Bel Air's July 4th Celebration!
There's nothing like spending the day in Bel Air, Maryland, on Independence Day! From dawn to dark, we promise you will experience a clean, lively community and a progressive spirit. Professional and service organizations, churches, museums, historic landmarks and schools are concentrated in our town, which is also the county seat of Harford County.
Planning on Seeing the Parade? Great! Please plan ahead!
The Bel Air July 4 Parade is one of the largest in the state, and features floats, bands, marching units, car clubs, notables, Beauty Queens, Volunteer Fire Companies and much, much more. It's great fun, and takes place over a mile-long route: from Idlewild and S. Main to E. Gordon and N. Main.
We also offer fun, family-friendly events all morning!
Our light-hearted, competitive events are all free and open to anyone, including Watermelon Eating, Horseshoe Pitching, Uncle Sam Says, and much more. And of course, there's the traditional PANCAKE BREAKFAST at Bel Air High School! See our schedule page for all the information and details, including maps and parking info!
Please use the grid (below) to find the topic that you want, including the story of our event, our July 4 schedule, road closings and diversions due to the events, and more. Please use our "July 4 Contact Form" to ask us a general question. Follow the links to apply to be in the parade!
Thanks to You, It Happens!
The Bel Air July 4th Celebration is managed by an independent, non-profit committee: the Bel Air Independence Day Committee, Inc., which must raise the money that it takes to bring the whole day together and celebrate our glorious holiday in fitting style.
Won't you help us? You can DONATE safely on line, using PayPal or any major credit card! Just select the button above! All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Thanks and we hope to see you on the 4th! For complete information, browse through our official 2019 program!
