There’s plenty going on in the Rock Hill region for July 4. What you need to know

Kaylen Pritchard
·4 min read

Here’s an overview of what’s happening this July 4th weekend? There will be activities and celebrations throughout the Rock Hill region.

Events and activities

There will be music, food trucks, vendors and children’s activities at the amphitheater at Walter Elisha Park from 6-9:30 p.m.

A fireworks display will begin at 9:15pm.

  • Visit Historic Brattonsville on July 1 to experience how Independence Day was celebrated in the Piedmont region during the 1850s. Ongoing events include making 19th century refreshments, a natural dyeing activity and writing with quill pens and ink.

At 1 p.m., the site will present “Brattonsville’s African-American Community and The Pursuit of Liberty.”

At noon and 2 p.m., there will be a reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Oak Grove Stage.

The event will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Admission is free for members and children under 3. Adults are $8, children are $5, and seniors are $7.

This is why you might not get in a popular Rock Hill region park during July 4th weekend

In Tega Cay

Tega Cay’s Let Freedom Ring celebration will feature a weekend of Independence Day activities from shows to parades.

The events start on July 1 with a concert featuring Gump Fiction, a rock group from Charlotte. The concert will be 6-10 p.m. in Runde Park.

Food trucks, and a beer truck, will be on site.

Let Freedom Ring events on July 3 will be held at Windjammer Park (8999 Windjammer Dr).

At 5 p.m., The Goat Boater, Lake Wylie Paddle Boarding and The City of Tega Cay will present The Freedom SUP Fun Run. Pre-registration is encouraged.

Proceeds from The Freedom SUP Fun Run will go to Tega Cay Forever and continued preservation of current parks.

Also on July 3 is the Lake Wylie Boat Parade. The parade will be at Niven’s Creek and make its way to Windjammer Park.

Boats will depart from Niven’s Creek at 5 p.m. and arrive at Windjammer Park an hour later.

The final event of the evening at Windjammer Park will be a performance by the Carolina Show Ski team.

Because seating is limited, bring a blanket or chair.

Free shuttle services to Windjammer Park will be provided from Tega Cay Elementary School and the Glennon Center 4:30-9 p.m. There is no parking at the park itself.

Finally, Tega Cay’s Let Freedom Ring Parade will be at 9 a.m. July 4.

The parade will begin at Tega Cay Elementary School and travel down Tega Cay Drive to Windward Drive and loop back to the school.

The Tega Cay Lion’s Club will jost their annual fish fry after the parade in the City’s Glennon Center (15083 Molokai Dr.)

Also located in The Glennon Center, Mayor Gray will give an update on the city and cut the city’s 41st Birthday cake. The cake cutting will be at 4:30pm.

Fireworks

In addition to the fireworks display at the Fort Mill Independence Day celebration, Rock Hill and Tega Cay also will host fireworks events.

  • Red, White and BOOM! will take place July 3 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Main St and Caldwell St. The festival includes two stages of entertainment, an ice cream contest , and around 9:45 a fireworks display.

  • Carowinds will present fireworks on July 4 at 10:30 p.m.

The firework shows will be visible throughout the park, but the best viewing locations are in the Carolina Boardwalk, County Fair, and Celebration Plaza areas.

  • Tega Cay’s Let Freedom Ring fireworks will be on July 4 beginning around 9:30 p.m. (sundown) at the Glennon Center. Parking is limited at the Glennon Center or Tega Cay Golf and Conference Center. Overflow parking will be directed to Runde Park and The Golf Club.

Weather, gas prices, air travel

Weather will be in the high 80s and low 90s this weekend.

There is a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms Saturday, Monday and Tuesday with very little chance of rain on Friday and Sunday.

The price of regular gasoline in the Rock Hill region is around $3 a gallon, and gas in South Carolina tends to be 10 cents cheaper than in North Carolina.

According to GasBuddy, the cheapest places in the area to fill up are Sam’s Club on Cross Pointe Dr. ($2.96 per gallon) and Walmart on Cherry Rd. ($2.97 per gallon).

For those flying out of the Charlotte Douglas Airport, expect larger crowds than in past years.

Starting Thursday until July 5, the airport expects about 229,000 passengers. This is a 13 percent increase from this time last year and “23% busier than 2019,” according to Charlotte officials.

Parking must be reserved on the Parking page on the CLT Airport website or app.

Bookings for parking must be made at least 3 hours in advance.

The airport has a limited number of spaces available to book online.