Delray Beach's Fourth of July Celebration, a family-friendly tradition for more than 50 years that draws upward of 20,000 people, is an official America250 partner event on the national calendar. The city will open a 1976 Bicentennial Time Capsule on the Main Stage at A1A, a half-century message from Americans who celebrated the nation's 200th birthday to those marking its 250th. At 6 p.m., a 60-foot flag will rise at Atlantic Avenue and Seabreeze Avenue alongside the National Anthem and a reading of the Declaration of Independence by the Delray Beach Historical Society.
Beach activities begin at 8 a.m. with the 4's on the 4th volleyball tournament and the Star Spangled Sandcastles contest, the city's sand-sculpting showdown presented by local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs. Judging takes place at 11 a.m., with a rule to keep creations patriotic, not political. Guided snorkel and scuba tours explore the S.S. Inchulva, the British steamship that a 1903 hurricane destroyed 150 yards offshore, known today as the Delray Wreck. Evening entertainment includes tribute act Let's Groove Tonight channeling Earth, Wind Fire and DJ SoNyce on the Main Stage, with Digital Vibez performing on the East Road Stage from 6:30 to 9 p.m. A Zambelli fireworks display lights up the Atlantic at 9 p.m.