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7-02-2026 7:53pm
Things To Do around Westwood This Fourth of July Weekend and Beyond: Thursday, July 2 to Wednesday, July 8
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the nation are just around the corner! With a children's parade, pie eating, an Independence Day movie, and a parade led by retired NASA astronaut and Needham native Sunita Williams, this year's Independence Day promises to be memorable. Catch the festivities from Thursday, July 2 to Saturday, July 4. Walpole and Needham will shoot off fireworks on Friday, July 3.
Following the weekend activities, experience an afternoon in the Christa McAuliffe Center's planetarium and music in the garden at Elm Bank.
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Outdoor Movie: Independence Day (1996) - Thu Jul 2 8:00 pm
Westwood Public Library (Main)
Bring a blanket and chair for an outdoor screening of Independence Day (1996, PG-13, 2 hrs. 25 min.) in the Main Library parking lot. The library will have popcorn and drinks. Feel free to bring your own snacks, too! [more details]
Night Before the 4th Celebration- Fri Jul 3 6:00 pm
Walpole
A firetruck parade begins at 6:00 p.m. from the East Walpole Fire Station, and ends at the downtown common. Afterwards, head to the area behind Town Hall for live music and fireworks that begin at 9:30 p.m. [more details]
2026 Needham Fourth of July Celebration - Fri Jul 3 5:30 pm & Sat Jul 4 9:00 a.m.
Needham
On Friday, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. in Memorial Park, the community will gather for food, drink, a pie-eating contest (6:30 p.m.) and children's entertainment. Live music plays from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m., and a Fireworks Spectacular is scheduled at dark. (Note: On the synthetic turf, no food, snacks, or candy are permitted and water is the only beverage allowed.)
On Saturday, retired NASA astronaut and Needham native Sunita Williams will be the Grand Marshal of the Grand Parade that begins around 9:00 a.m. from the Town Common. [more details]
Independence Day Celebration - Sat Jul 4 1:00 pm
Norwood
Children are invited to decorate their tricycles, bicycles or doll carriages, and/or come in costume as a historical character, to take part in a parade that begins at 1:00 p.m. from First Congregational Church At 2:00 p.m., readers will recite Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" at the historic Old Parish Cemetery. Enjoy a Carillon Concert at 2:30 p.m. from the Town Hall Memorial Tower. At 4:00 p.m., join the ribbon cutting for the historic Washington No. 7 Fire Bell. At 5:00 p.m. is the Firecracker 5K Road Race, and at 5:30 p.m., the start of a parade of fire trucks, antique and classic cars and historic military reenactors, that begins from Coakley Middle School and ends at Town Hall. [more details]
Summer Planetarium: Summer Night Sky Tour & We Are Guardians - Wed Jul 8 4:00 pm
Christa McAuliffe Center and FSU Planetarium, Framingham
Experience an afternoon in the planetarium featuring a Summer Night Sky Tour followed by the fulldome film, We Are Guardians. Take a tour of the summer night sky and find astronomical objects that may or may not be easily seen in traditional suburban skies. [more details]
Music in the Garden: Summer Concert Series - Wed Jul 8 6:00 pm
Garden at Elm Bank
Enjoy live music from local bands on summer evenings! Bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets, and pack a dinner for Maple Grove lawn, with a backdrop of the Goddess Garden.
[more details]
