Celebrate 4th of July Weekend in Dutchess

Date Published: June 14, 2021

Celebrate Independence Day and enjoy the long weekend in Dutchess. From gazing at a fireworks spectacular to visiting sites with historical significance, check out our patriotic happenings for the holiday weekend.

Fourth of July Weekend Events

Fourth of July Live Music Weekend at Grand Cru

Thursday, July 1st to Sunday, July 4th 

Take a sip of cold craft beer while listening to live music at Grand Cru in Rhinebeck all weekend long! Celebrate the nation's birthday with a great musical lineup and daily specials from the beer garden menu. Performances will start Thursday night and end Sunday afternoon. View their schedule here.

Town of East Fishkill Summer Concert with Fireworks

Friday, July 2nd at 7:00 p.m. 

Enjoy Friday night with live music by Adam & The Newhearts at the Hopewell Recreation Field. Featuring Rock 'n' Roll classics and Elvis and Beatles covers, this outdoor event is a great way to kick off the weekend. After the show, stick around for a fireworks show starting at 9:15 p.m. 

Hyde Park Independence Day Parade

Saturday, July 3rd at 10:00 a.m.

Visit historic Hyde Park during Independence Day weekend, and catch their annual parade and celebrate their Bicentennial!  The parade will take place at 10:00 a.m. and will run from Roosevelt Cinemas and ends at Town Hall. Spectators can bring their chairs, and blankets, find a safe spot along the route to enjoy the parade! After the event, head over to the Town Hall for food truck vendors, and the traditional trophy ceremony presentation. 

Movie Night & Fireworks Extravaganza at Dutchess Stadium

Saturday, July 3rd at 6:30 p.m.

Join the Renegades for this family-friendly fun-filled evening featuring a screening of the movie National Treasure capped off with a spectacular firework show celebrating Independence Day Weekend! Although the Hudson Valley Renegades will be playing away that weekend, you can grab tickets for future home games here. 

Morgan Lewis, A Complicated Patriot at Staatsburgh State Historic Site

Saturday, July 3rd at 2:30 p.m.

Architectural conservator and historian TR Revella-Hamilton will give an Independence Day weekend talk on Staatsburgh’s builder, Revolutionary War veteran Morgan Lewis. The complex journey of Lewis from young revolutionary to the aged statesman who embodied the establishment of the early Republic is the story of how many leading citizens transitioned America into a modern nation. There is no charge for this present, however, visitors must register in advance to aid in social distancing. Space is limited, preregister here. 

Independence Day at Clermont State Historic Site

Sunday, July 4 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Join Clermont State Historic Site on July 4th for an Independence Celebration. They're featuring several family-friendly activities throughout the day, including demonstrations of historic sewing, paper cutting, and proper soldiering in the British army. Interested in the culinary arts? Culinary historian Lavada Nahon will be joining us to teach 17th-19thcentury cooking techniques, including those once used by enslaved people in the mid-Atlantic. We'll be offering various crafts and fun historical activities for kids of all ages! Don't miss out on the special performance of Frederick Douglass' famous speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?". The celebration will culminate with the beloved traditional reading of the Declaration of Independence! For more information, click here. 

Fourth of July Hillbilly Parade at Mirror Lake Retreat

Sunday, July 4 from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Hudson Valley's best Country Rock Band: Hillbilly Parade is joining us at the campground for a special 4th of July concert. Passes include a BBQ Buffet (Begins at 4:30 p.m.), live music from Hillbilly Parade (6-9 p.m.), access to the grounds, fishing (bring your own gear), hiking and walking trails. For more information, click here.

Reading of the Declaration of Independence

Sunday, July 4 at 11:30 a.m. 

Please join the Village of Fishkill for the Annual 4th of July Reading of the Declaration of Independence, on the steps of the Village Hall, 1095 Main Street. Our reader this year will be Dutchess County Historian William Tatum. Following the reading, there will be refreshments inside the Village Hall and a guest book signing. This event is free and open to the public. 

BONUS: Post-Independence Day Weekend Fireworks

150th Anniversary of the Village of Wappingers Firework Spectacular

Saturday, July 10 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:05 p.m.
Celebration Starts 5:00 p.m., Live Music 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Fireworks 9:00 p.m.

The start of summer is always magical but this summer has never felt so good! The celebration for the 150th birthday of the Village of Wappingers Falls kicks off at Veterans Park featuring fireworks, food trucks, and music! 

Dutchess County’s Historic Ties to the Revolutionary War

Clermont State Historic Site, Germantown
Home to seven generations of the Livingston family, the most famous being Chancellor Robert R. Livingston who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and had the distinct honor of giving the presidential oath of office to George Washington in 1789. The original home was burned down in October of 1777 by British soldiers and later rebuilt. The mansion is currently closed for tours, but the grounds are open 8:30 AM-dusk every day.

The Glebe House, Poughkeepsie
Rev. John Beardsley, who ministered to Episcopal congregations in Poughkeepsie and Fishkill, remained loyal to Great Britain and fled to Canada. During the war, the house quartered Continental Army officers.

John Kane House, Pawling
For three months in 1778, General Washington based his military movements and slept in the home of John and Sybil Kane in Pawling. Currently open by appointment only. 

Mount Gulian Historic Site, Beacon
In 1883, Mount Gulian served as the headquarters of Major General Friedrich von Steuben, leader of the Continental Army. 

Van Wyck Homestead Museum, Fishkill
The Continental Army used Van Wyck Homestead as the Officer’s Quarters for the Fishkill Supply Depot, one of three major encampments, during the Revolutionary War. 

Pictured above: Mount Gulian Historic Site