Where to see fireworks in and around Portsmouth

Escobar’s display is on Friday night

Posted 7/1/24

PORTSMOUTH — Looking for the rockets’ red glare? Here’s a brief guide to some of the best places to see Independence Day fireworks displays this year.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Where to see fireworks in and around Portsmouth

Escobar’s display is on Friday night

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Looking for the rockets’ red glare? 

Here’s a brief guide to some of the best places to see Independence Day fireworks displays this year.

Portsmouth

Louis Escobar left us in 2022, but his farm’s famous fireworks show is still going strong. 

This year, Escobar Farm at 133 Middle Road will fire off its display at 9:15 p.m. on Friday, July 5. Watch for parking restrictions along Middle Road, and parking at Escobar's Farmhouse Inn is limited to registered guests and families. 

Bristol

Fireworks over Bristol Harbor begin at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, the night before the town’s Fourth of July Parade. The procession steps off at 10:30 a.m. from the corner of Chestnut and Hope streets.

Newport

You can catch the fireworks over Newport Harbor starting at 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 4 (July 5 is the rain date). Pick a spot facing westward of the harbor. Some of the more popular viewing sports are King Park, Queen Anne Square, and Perrotti Park.

Jamestown

If you have hearing or sensory sensitivities, enjoy the “oohs without the booms” at the R.I. Department of Environmental Management’s “Quiet Fireworks” viewing of the Newport display at Beavertail State Park in Jamestown.

Depending on weather and atmospheric conditions, the explosions of fireworks can be heard many miles away, so the viewing event at Beavertail will not be noiseless. However, the increased distance from Newport will allow viewers to enjoy the sparkle of the fireworks at much-reduced levels.

Leashed dogs are allowed if the leash is no longer than six feet. Children must be always accompanied by an adult. The viewing is wheelchair-accessible and stroller-friendly. Patrons should consider bringing a flashlight, as the bathroom facilities at this location do not have lighting available. 

The Beavertail Aquarium will extend its regular hours to 9 p.m. so patrons can explore marine life common to Rhode Island’s waters with interactive crafts and activities including a bioluminescent comb jellyfish demonstration before the fireworks begin. The event is for all ages and physical abilities.

Fall River

The city’s annual Fourth of July celebration will have live events starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, with fireworks over the Taunton River starting at 9 p.m. A number of food and ice cream trucks will be available.

Tickets are also available to view the fireworks from the deck of the USS Massachusetts. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. and the last admission will be at 8:45 p.m. Tickets are $15, free for children under 2.

And one more …

If you don’t want to leave Portsmouth but want to experience multiple fireworks displays at once, we suggest checking out a beach or shoreline in Common Fence Point. There you’ll find a panoramic view of several official — and not so official — fireworks displays on the other side of the bay.

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.