Inside Gatlinburg TN - Gatlinburg Coupons, Gatlinburg Lodging, Vacation Guides

Come see the first 4th of July parade of the year in Gatlinburg, TN. The parade starts at midnight on the evening of July 3rd. The 33rd annual Midnight Independence Day Parade is expected to bring in 90,000 to 100,000 spectators. The city of Gatlinburg says this will be their most patriotic and colorful parade ever. There will be a tribute to our 5 military branches which will be a major highlight of the parade and rightfully so. The streets will be closed to vehicles at approximately 11 pm on July 3rd so plan to get there early. Also, traffic in and out of town could take 1-2 hours, so keep that in mind as you make you’re way to and from the parade. You can see the parade anywhere from downtown on the main strip, so don’t sweat it too much if you have trouble finding a spot in the middle of downtown…you’ll see the same parade at the beginning and end of the route.

Also, Gatlinburg will be having a fireworks show on the fourth of July, which will begin about an hour after sundown. The display can be seen along most of the parkway from the skylift all the way down to Applebee’s. The fireworks show is supposed to last around 20 minutes.

If you won’t be in Gatlinburg, you can check out the 4th of July fireworks in Pigeon Forge. Star 102.1 (a regional radio station) is co-sponsoring the Pigeon Forge event and will have free concerts on July 4th. The Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge events are both free and will be a great time for the entire family. Just don’t forget why we celebrate the Fourth of July!!