Spectacular July 4th fireworks over Boston Common will light up the sky for in-person spectators and those watching the live broadcast of this beloved annual event, returning this year after being cancelled last year due to the pandemic shutdown.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Boston’s much-loved July 4th gala celebration will be a little different this year. The biggest change? The Pops Independence Day concert will take place at Tanglewood, located in Lenox in Western Massachusetts instead of here in Boston at the Hatch Shell. But there will be special guests, the event will as usual be free (more about how to attend in a moment), and the concert will also be live-streamed for everyone who can’t see it in person.
Here is the guest lineup for the 2021 Pops July 4th concert:
• Mavis Staples, the legendary Queen of Soul, R&B, and Gospel, as well as civil rights activist and actress
• Jon Batiste, Academy Award winner for Best Original Score for the Pixar film Soul, Grammy nominee, and bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
• The Six-String Soldiers of the U.S. Army Field Band and members of the U.S. Air Force Band’s Singing Sergeants
• Alix Steel, Romaine Bostick, Janet Wu, and Joe Shortsleeve from Bloomberg TV and Radio will host the show
Despite being in a different location than usual, the concert will feature all their usual quintessential favorites for this annual concert: “The Star Spangled Banner†and “Stars and Stripes Forever,†along with other pieces. And, in keeping with tradition, the musical portion of the show will end with their resounding performance of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,†complete with live cannons and bells.
If you’re traveling to Boston for this national patriotic holiday, plan for a memorable evening watching the free Fireworks Spectacular on the Common.
If you want to get tickets for the free concert at Tanglewood, they will start being distributed on June 21 at 10am through the concert website on a first-come, first-served basis, with a 4-ticket limit per household.
Both the concert and the fireworks are a part of Boston’s big Harborfest festival during early July. Harborfest will also host its own 15-minute fireworks show over the Boston Harbor on July 3.