Photo by Layton Dudley.
The City of Homewood and the Homewood Parks & Recreation Board held a festival to celebrate July 4th in downtown Homewood. The festival was held on a couple blocks of 18th Street South and an additional block on 29th Avenue South.
Once again, the city of Homewood will host a downtown festival on July 4, offering families a chance to enjoy music and games before Birmingham’s fireworks show.
Parks and Recreation Superintendent Rusty Holley said this year’s festival is set for Thursday, July 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. and will take place along 18th Street South, as well as part of 29th Street South.
All of the events will wrap up as the Alabama Bicentennial Fireworks show gets started, Holley said.
There will be mechanical rides, inflatables, food and a few vendors, Holley said. The event usually draws between 4,000 and 5,000 people, he said, and it gets more crowded closer to when the fireworks start.
People have been known to park in the parking lot behind 18th Street just to get a good sightline for the fireworks, Holley said.
The city decided to add the festival as people were already coming to the area to watch “Thunder on the Mountain,” but Holley said he feels that even if the fireworks weren’t there, people would still come for the festival, which has grown each year. The festival helps bring the community together for a few hours of fun, Holley said.
The event is free, but guests will need to purchase a $10 wristband to ride the rides, Holley said. The money goes toward the Homewood High School band.
