Fouth of July Events in Minneapolis/St. Paul

This year, the Fourth of July is on a Saturday, and there will be plenty of fireworks on Saturday evening. Where are the best firework displays in the Twin Cities? Some of the biggest displays in the Twin Cities are in downtown Minneapolis, at Taste of Minnesota in downtown St. Paul, and in Apple Valley. Fireworks over a lake or river are especially spectacular, with the reflections in the water adding a new dimension to the show. Arrive early to get a spot near the river at the downtown Minneapolis display.

Fireworks, parades, community festivals, and traditional Independence Day celebrations are being held on Independence Day in just about every city in the Twin Cities Metro Area.

• Independence Day Fireworks and Festivals in the Twin Cities

Watching fireworks is just about mandatory on the Fourth, but if jostling for space at a display is getting old, another way to do it is on a boat. Magnolia Blossom Cruises on the Mississippi River get you as close as you can be to the Taste of Minnesota fireworks, every night of the festival. Afton-Hudson Cruise Lines are running cruises on the St. Croix River to watch the Hudson fireworks on July 3 and the Stillwater fireworks on July 4.

And what else is there to do for the Fourth of July in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the Twin Cities? Here's a couple of ideas to be red, white and blue and a little different at alternative Independence Day events in Minneapolis.

• Walker Art Center/Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Fabulous Fourth During the daytime on July 4, the Walker Art Center holds a free family-friendly festival with live music from Sumunar Javanese Gamelan Ensemble, indie-folk songstress Haley Bonar and Ghanaian rapper M.Anifest. As well as the music, there will be other art and performance events including and a children's art bike competition and parade around the garden. The festival runs from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. And for more art, admission to the Walker Art Center will be free on July 4.
• Soap Factory 5th Annual Ten Second Film Festival Another art event on the Fourth is after the fireworks. The Soap Factory gallery, a few blocks away from the epicenter of the downtown Minneapolis fireworks, is holding the 5th Annual Ten Second Film Festival just as soon as the fireworks are done. 3,000 people attended last year to see odd, immature, intriguing, amusing, bizarre and beautiful short - make that ultrashort - films.