City to Host Independence Day Extravaganza

Published on June 29, 2026

The City of Aurora is set to celebrate America’s 250th birthday in style with the annual Fourth of July Fireworks Show, featuring the 6050’s Band and Fourth of July Parade.

The City’s Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration will take place on Friday, July 3, from 6 P.M. to 9:45 P.M. Two viewing locations will be available for the public - RiverEdge Park (360 N. Broadway Avenue) and McCullough Park (150 W. Illinois Avenue). DJ Suavesmooth will provide music and entertainment at RiverEdge Park, while DJ Pena will spin the beats at McCullough Park. The 6050’s a local band consisting of residents and City employees, will also be performing a free concert at RiverEdge Park showcasing ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s music. Food trucks will be on hand at Wilder Promenade (350 N. River Street) and McCullough Park throughout the evening. The City’s fireworks display will launch at dusk, close to 9:51 P.M.

Five free park-and-ride shuttles will operate round-trip service from 6 P.M. to 9 P.M., helping attendees reach both fireworks locations. The shuttles will resume service following the fireworks show, with the last shuttles departing at 11 P.M. The 2026 shuttle routes are as follows:

Additionally, the RiverEdge Park Pedestrian Bridge will be open on July 3, allowing attendees from the West Side of the Fox River to cross over and watch the fireworks show from RiverEdge Park.

On Saturday, July 4, the City will host its annual Fourth of July Parade, beginning at the intersection of Benton Street and Broadway Avenue at 10 A.M. For best viewing capability, the Reviewing Stand will be placed in front of the David L. Pierce Art and History Center, located at 20 E. Downer Place.

Lifelong leader and longtime community member, Junaita Wells, will serve as this year’s Parade Grand Marshal. Wells moved to Aurora in 1972 and has served in a number of leadership positions throughout the City. She is the past president of the Fox Valley American Legion 798 Women’s Auxiliary, a former board member of the Marie Wilkinson Child Development Center, and a charter member of the Bionic Temple 1296 Improved Benevolent Protected Order of the Elks of the World. Wells is currently a member of Blacks in Politics and the African American Black Business Expo Committee, serves as the secretary for Friends of LaSalle Street Historic Auto Row, and assists Progressive Baptist Church’s women’s ministry and children’s church. She was also an 18-year member of the East Aurora School District 131 Board of Education and a 12-year member of the Aurora Township Board of Trustees. Today, she is the mother of two children, grandmother of three grandchildren, and great-grandmother of four great-grandchildren.

Attendees can enjoy the comfort of free parking available throughout downtown Aurora. Visitors are encouraged to arrive before 9:30 A.M. to provide enough time for parking and viewing preparation on the parade route.

Immediately following the Parade, the City of Aurora’s Grand Army of the Republic Military Museum will open its latest exhibit, America’s 250th: How the G.A.R. Shaped Our Nation, to further commemorate America’s 250th Anniversary, as well as the 149th anniversary of the laying of the Museum’s cornerstone. This exhibit explores the political, cultural, and economic influence of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Civil War veteran society formed in Decatur, Illinois, in 1866. The exhibit’s narrative is accompanied by historic photographs and artifacts from the G.A.R. Military Museum’s collection. G.A.R. Commission Chairman, Dr. Michael Sawdey, will give a speech about 15 minutes before the Parade steps off to discuss the importance of the exhibit, as well as the significance of this year’s holiday at both the national and local levels.

The exhibit will be on display through December 5. The G.A.R. Military Museum is open on Wednesday through Friday, from 12 P.M. to 4 P.M., and Saturday from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M., in addition to First Friday events from 5 P.M. to 9 P.M., and on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day, one hour before the City’s parade and one hour after the parade. Private tours are available by contacting Museum Director Eric Pry at (630) 256-3348 or via email at PryE@aurora.il.us.