Get ready to celebrate 4th of July in The Woodlands; Annual Red Hot and Blue Festival full of family fun

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Residents and visitors are invited to celebrate freedom in The Woodlands with a variety of festivities for the Fourth of July weekend.

The 2018 holiday schedule offers entertainment and activities for everyone to enjoy, beginning with the Houston Symphony’s Star-Spangled Salute on Tuesday, July 3, 2018, at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

The festivities on Wednesday, July 4, begin at 9 a.m. with the South County Fourth of July Parade in The Woodlands Town Center. Following the parade, Splash Day offers a free cool down at all Township pools from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no charge for admission all day. The lifeguards at each pool will select a unique, family-oriented theme and provide fun activities and games from noon to 4 p.m. Light refreshments will also be available while supplies last. Splash Day 2018 is presented by Kroger.

The celebration will continue into the evening with entertainment and activities at five locations in The Woodlands:

Northshore Park will feature face painting, food trucks and musical entertainment by Klockwork Band. The park will be closed to vehicular traffic at 11:30 p.m. on July 3, 2018, and reopen at 5:30 a.m. on July 5, 2018. Free parking will be available at the Alight Solutions campus (formerly Aon Hewitt). Residents should be advised that the majority of the docks at Northshore Park will be unavailable June 27 through July 5, 2018. Northshore Park will be closed from 6 to 9 a.m. on July 2, 2018 to accommodate further set up.

Town Green Park will have a wide variety of activities, including strolling entertainers, face painters, balloon artists, inflatables, a kids’ zone, food vendors and two stages for music from the Pictures Band and Uptown Drive. Free parking, generously donated by Timberloch, Inc., will be available at the Orange, Yellow, Blue and White Lots at 2002 Timberloch Place.

Waterway Square Park will have concessions, face painting, a balloon artist and entertainment by the Willow Creek Junction. There will be several paid parking options around Waterway Square, along with free parking near the Cinemark Theatre at Lake Robbins Drive and Six Pines.

Hughes Landing will feature musical entertainment from the ‘70s to the ‘80s by Phatso. Free and paid parking options will be available throughout Hughes Landing.

Rob Fleming Park will have food trucks, face painting and the country musical stylings of Keeton Coffman. Due to limited parking in the Rob Fleming Park area, residents are encouraged to walk or bike to the event. Limited free parking will be available at New Haven House of Prayer, 6262 Creekside Green, and Creekside Forest Elementary, 5949 Creekside Forest Drive.

The annual celebration will culminate with an 18-minute fireworks extravaganza at approximately 9:30 p.m. with multiple launch locations. The primary fireworks display will be located in Lake Woodlands adjacent to Northshore Park, with a secondary close-proximity (special effects) display at Town Green Park. The 2018 fireworks extravaganza will also feature a fireworks display in the Waterway Square District near Timberloch Place and Waterway Avenue and Rob Fleming Park in the Village of Creekside Park. Residents can enjoy both the sights and sounds of the fireworks extravaganza by tuning into WoodlandsHits.com, which will be broadcasting the choreographed patriotic soundtrack for the 2018 event.

The presenting festival sponsor of the multi-location Red, Hot and Blue celebration is CHI St. Luke’s Health, with additional sponsor support from Waste Management and The Howard Hughes Corporation®.

Vendor applications are still being accepted for the event. Showcase your business and reach thousands of residents by participating in the annual Red, Hot & Blue Festival! Applications are due by June 20, 2018 and available for download at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/4thofJuly.

For more details and updates, please visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/4thofJuly or follow The Woodlands Township Parks and Recreation Department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/townshipparksandrec. As the Fourth of July holiday nears, residents are reminded that The Woodlands Covenants strictly prohibit the sale or use of home fireworks and sparklers of any kind in The Woodlands neighborhoods.