Where to watch Fourth of July fireworks

Tired of the backyard barbecue? What better time to jostle among your fellow Americans than the Fourth of July!

Fireworks! Entertainment! Diet-busting foods! And — bonus! — when it’s all done, a renewed appreciation for the comforts and quiet of home.

Here’s a roundup of fireworks-related events on the holiday, organized by city name and in alphabetical order. Note that parking almost always costs extra and is the usual nightmare, so consider alternative transportation to get to your venue.

Extra note: If you want to watch fireworks for free, try finding a perch with expansive city views, such as these spots noted by Curbed Los Angeles: the Intercontinental’s 70th floor Lobby Lounge in the Wilshire Grand Tower, 900 Wilshire Blvd. in Downtown; the Universal City Overlook, 7701 Mulholland Drive in Studio City, the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook (short but steep hike) at 6300 Hetzler Road in Culver City, or, of course, Griffith Observatory, 2800 East Observatory Ave. in Griffith Park (this one will be packed, so definitely expect a hike or use the DASH shuttle).

If we missed a fireworks display happening in your area, please let us know in the comments section and we may update this list.

Culver City

Annual 4th of July Fireworks Show at West Los Angeles College

Food trucks, picnicking (coolers OK but no alcohol permitted), games, live music and fireworks on the college grounds. Gates open 4 p.m., admission $5, children under 5 free. Pedestrians enter from Overland Boulevard only, cars from Jefferson Boulevard. www.wlac.edu

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DTLA

Grand Park + The Music Center’s Fourth of July Block Party

Food trucks, live music, fireworks and free admission at Grand Park. 3 to 9:30 p.m. grandparkla.org

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Echo Park

Patriots Night at Dodger Stadium on July 3 & 4

Watch the Dodgers play the Pittsburgh Pirates before a huge fireworks display. Tickets start at $32. Game starts at 7:10 p.m. on July 3 and 5:10 p.m. July 4. mlb.com/dodgers

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Exposition Park

4th of July Community Festival & Fireworks Show

L.A. City Councilman Curren D. Price Jr. presents this free event with live music, kid-oriented activities, “delectable” food and a fireworks show on the south lawn of Exposition Park. 11 a.m.to 10 p.m.; fireworks begin at 9. lacoliseum.com

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Hollywood

Footloose (1984) + Fireworks at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Cinespia’s annual summer movie-thon at the iconic cemetery features the 1984 Herbert Ross classic dance movie on July 4, plus room for picnicking, beer and wine and fireworks at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard. $35, gates open at 7:15 p.m., movie starts at 9 p.m., fireworks follow. cinespia.org

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Hollywood Hills

July 4th Fireworks Spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl

Fireworks, fresh air, and music by the Go-Go’s, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West at the Hollywood Bowl July 2, 3 and 4. 7:30 p.m. Nosebleed tickets start at $25 adults, $12.50 for children up to $278. hollywoodbowl.com

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Huntington Beach

4th of July Parade and Fireworks

If you like sand with your pyrogenics and “the largest Independence Day parade west of the Mississippi River,” head to Orange County’s Huntington Beach. The parade starts at 10 a.m., fireworks from the Huntington Beach Pier at 9 p.m., with live entertainment, food and sunbathing in between. The viewings are free unless you want bleacher seats for the parade ($15) or fireworks ($10). surfcityusa.com

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Long Beach

All American Fourth of July on the Queen Mary

You can celebrate America’s Independence Day aboard a ship named after the wife of a British king, now famously docked in Long Beach. Family-oriented crafts and games, live entertainment, special tours, a “4-D patriotic theatrical movie” and, of course, fireworks at the end. 2 to 10 p.m. Buy tickets before July 4 to save $15 per admission, pre-July 4 prices are $44 ages 12+, $24 ages 4-11, children 3 and under free. queenmary.com

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Fourth of July Barbecue at Aquarium at the Pacific

Eat hearty (all-beef hot dogs, marinated chicken legs and thighs and beef brisket “with rosemary accents,” plus fixin’s like watermelon arugula salad and roasted corn on the cob), tour the aquarium and watch the Queen Mary’s fireworks. Gates open at 5 p.m. $64 for adults, $28 children 3-11. Fireworks only, $14.95. 100 Aquarium Way at Shoreline Drive in Long Beach. aquariumofpacific.org

Marina del Rey

July 4th Fireworks

Fireworks over the ocean with synchronized music at Burton Chace Park or Fisherman’s Village in Marina del Rey. Or ride your bike on the Ballona Creek Bike Path and listen on radio station KXLU 88.9 FM. Fireworks start at 9 but local street closures start at 1 p.m. so come early, bring a bike and spend the day. visitmarinadelrey.com

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Pacific Palisades

Fourth of July Parade, Music and Fireworks

Skydivers will drop from above at 1:50 p.m. to start the free 70th Anniversary Palisades Parade on Sunset Boulevard between Via de la Paz and Drummond Street. The celebration continues inside Palisades Charter High School at 4 p.m., with food trucks, live music, and fireworks at 9 p.m. $10. palisades4th.com

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Pasadena

92nd Annual AmericaFest at the Rose Bowl

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., performances — including “American Idol” winner Maddie Poppe leading the Michael Knights Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Sing-A-Long — start at 7 and the fireworks begin at 9 p.m. 1001 Rose Bowl Drive. Tickets start at $15. rosebowlstadium.com

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Pomona

32nd Annual Fireworks Spectacular Red, White and BOOM!

What’s more American than monster trucks, motocross, a gut-busting buffet and fireworks at the L.A. County Fairgrounds in Pomona? Gates open at 5 p.m., so you can mingle with the monster trucks and even take a ride ($10). Admission $18.50 to $27.50, buffet tickets are extra, starting at $28 for children and $50 for adults. fairplex.com

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Riverside

Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular

Riverside offers two free fireworks shows at 9 p.m., one from La Sierra Park, 5215 La Sierra Ave., in the southwest section of the city, and the traditional show from the top of Mt. Rubidoux, visible from any clear vantage point in the northeast part of the city (with synchronized music on KOLA 99.9 FM). The Evergreen Memorial Historic Cemetery, at 14th and Pine Streets, near the base of Mt. Rubidoux, offers food vendors, kids activities and tours of the graves of Riverside’s founders along with front-row seating to the fireworks. 5-9:30 p.m. Tickets $5, children 2 and under free. evergreen-cemetery.info, riversideca.gov/calendar

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Ventura

Fourth of July Street Fair, Fireworks Show & Family Picnic

By day, there’s the free Pushem-Pullem Parade for bike and wagons at 9:30 a.m.,and the 43rd annual Street Fair in the Downtown Cultural District with live music, a kid play zone and vendors selling food and handmade goods. Then the gates open at 5 p.m. for the Ventura Rotary Club’s 24th Annual Fireworks Show and Family Picnic at the Ventura College Athletic Fields. Admission online includes a fee, plus $6 adults/$4 children ages 4-12. Family passes start at $20, only available online. Pay $2 more at the door cityofventura.ca.gov, venturafireworks.com

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