JERSEY CITY, NJ — Independence Day is fast approaching, so it's time to find out where you can celebrate in the area and surrounding areas. Events include fireworks, festivals and other Fourth of July fun.

To help you mark your Fourth of July calendar, Patch has put together a guide to events happening in Hoboken, Hudson County and the surrounding areas.

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Local celebrations for July 4, 2024

What: 4th of July in Jersey City with Grucci fireworks and Wyclef Jean
Where: Montgomery Street, Exchange Place waterfront, Jersey City
When: Events start at 12:00, fireworks at 21:25
Summary: Grammy-winning musician Wyclef Jean will headline a day of music, food and Grucci fireworks on July 4 in Jersey City. Funk Flex will begin DJing at 6 p.m. and Fat Joe will perform at 7 p.m. For more information, click here.

What: 48th Edition of Macy's 4th of July Fireworks
Where: TV program start on NBC at 8 p.m., fireworks in the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey at around 9:25 p.m.
Summary: Macy's has moved its Fourth of July fireworks display back to the Hudson River, so spectators from cities like Weehawken, Hoboken and Jersey City may be able to see the spectacle. For more information, click here.

What: Hoboken 4th of July Pier 14 BBQ
Where: Hoboken Upper Harbor
When: 6pm-10pm
Summary: The Hoboken Historical Museum is hosting a barbecue and fireworks display. Tickets are required and include food. Click here for more information.

What: State Fair Meadowlands, fireworks on July 3rd and 4th
Where: East Rutherford, NJ
When: Fireworks on the nights of July 3rd and 4th.
Summary: The Meadowlands State Fair, an annual event in East Rutherford, returns with pig races, corn on the cob, games, live music and two nights of fireworks included in the price of admission. Click here for more information.

What: The star spectacle in Bergen County
Where: Ridgefield Park section of Overpeck County Park
When: July 4, 2024, from 3:00 p.m.; fireworks at 9:30 p.m.
Summary: The Star-Spangled Spectacular includes the New Jersey Wind Symphony as well as other musical performances, children's activities, food trucks, a beer and wine garden, a historic military flyover and fireworks over Overpeck Creek. Click here for more information.

What: Ridgewood 4th of July Parade, fireworks and more
Where: Events begin at 9am at Wilsey Square.
When: Events begin at 9am, parade at 10am and fireworks start at 6pm
Summary: The fest includes food trucks, a beer garden, live music and more. Find out more here.

History of Independence Day celebrations in America

Today, Americans celebrate the birth of a new nation with fireworks, parades, concerts, family reunions and barbecues. But these celebrations date back centuries before Independence Day was established as a federal holiday in 1941.

In the crucial summer of 1776, the pre-revolutionary celebrations in honour of King George III's birthday were replaced by mock funerals in order to create a symbolic break with the Crown.

It was an exciting time in Philadelphia: The Continental Congress voted to secede from the Crown and two days later, on July 4, the original 13 colonies – New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia – adopted the Declaration of Independence.

The first annual commemoration of the nation's independence took place in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, while the Revolutionary War was still in progress. Fireworks have been a part of the Fourth of July celebration since the first celebration in Philadelphia.