The 4th of July is one of the year's biggest events in Park City. Thousands come to historic Old Town to see the parade and enjoy the activities in City Park.
Main Street, along with Park Avenue (from 9th to 15th Streets), Heber Avenue, and Swede Alley will close around 8 a.m. on the 4th. They are scheduled to remain closed until 2 p.m. and cars parked there will be towed.
Paid parking at the China Bridge garage near Main Street will be available for $30, but it’s expected to fill up quickly. China Bridge will only be accessible by Marsac Avenue. Parking at the garage will be free starting at 1 p.m.
There are plenty of other ways to get to Old Town, however. People can park for free at Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort, the Park City School District campus on Kearns Boulevard, or in Richardson Flat. From there, Park City’s free bus service will take riders to the Old Town Transit Center. The city will also increase service to Richardson Flat, with buses running every 10 minutes.
The South Marsac lot in front of city hall is the designated vehicle drop-off spot.
Additionally, there will be no parking available at City Park from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Park City Economic Development Manager Jenny Diersen said walking or biking to Old Town is highly encouraged.
“We are going to be putting up some additional signage for Fourth of July, specifically on Poison Creek and along the Rail Trail, because a lot of people do use that pathway,” Diersen said.
“Park Avenue is great to ride your bikes. The crowds - whether it’s Poison Creek or Main Street or Park Avenue - they really do come. And so it’s just not appropriate to be riding your bikes really fast, or your skateboards really fast or anything like that. There’s dogs, there’s children, there’s all sorts of things… we want people to ride their bikes and walk, but just be courteous to those around you.”
Four F-35A Lightning II jets from the 419th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base are scheduled to fly over Main Street at 10:30 a.m.
The parade begins at 11 a.m. It will go down Main Street, then Park Avenue, and end at City Park. The parade co-grand marshals will be Mary Lou Toly and Thelma Eriarte. Toly was born on Empire Avenue in 1937, and opened Park City’s oldest family run business, now Red Banjo Pizza, in 1962. Eriarte was born in Park City in 1923, and is celebrating her 100th birthday this year. Her husband was the mayor of Park City in the late 1970s.
Following the parade, there will be food, games, and other fun at City Park. New this year, Woodward Park City will have a demonstration at the skatepark.
That all leads up to the drone show, which is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. The city decided not to do fireworks this year due to wildfire risk. Many communities across the West have made similar moves, including Salt Lake City.
The best spot to watch the show, according to the city, is the base of Park City Mountain. Other suggestions for a good view include the municipal golf course, City Park, and lower Main Street.
Because the drone show is a lot quieter than fireworks, KPCW will broadcast patriotic music to go alongside the event. People can broadcast the station by going to kpcw.org, using the KPCW app, or tuning into 91.7 FM.
