The Fourth of July is a classic hometown holiday. You may have spent your childhood running up and down the streets you grew up on, marching in your town’s parade and finding the perfect place to catch your local fireworks show. If you’re spending the summer in Berkeley, this hometown experience does have to be altered just a bit. We at the Clog may not be able to recreate your town’s annual bike parade, but we can suggest some local places to catch a neat fireworks display.

If you’re looking for an all-day event, definitely check out the Berkeley Marina. In addition to the fireworks show at 9:30 p.m., there’s also live entertainment, food vendors and plenty of kids activities (many of which don’t have age limits). Highlights include a magic show, a petting zoo and an inflatable park. Even if all the extras don’t sound quite up your alley, the marina also offers a picturesque viewing as it is right on the water. This is also the official city of Berkeley fireworks show, so if you want to be guaranteed a show, this is your spot. For more information, click here.

The Alameda County Fair also offers an exciting fireworks show that is accompanied by the Oakland symphony. With best viewing at Budweiser Grandstand (the Horse Racing Track), this show is guaranteed to wow its audiences. You could also spend the day at the fair itself, which has its “fair” share of fried food, baking and gardening competitions and entertainment. Price of admissions also includes entrance to the horse races, so you have the opportunity to create an entire day of celebration in just one place. For more information on the fair and the fireworks show click here.

Not looking to be up close and personal with the fireworks shows? There are plenty of high places you could trek to that offer views of multiple shows all around the bay area. We suggest either Indian Rock Park, Grizzly Peak or even the Big C. All three locations can give you a more personalized fireworks viewing and gives you the option as to which shows you want to watch. The only negative would be if the weather is not particularly clear; clouds can block the shows, so hiking to watch may be a little risky.

Whether you want a more intimate viewing experience or you want to make an all-day outing of your fireworks show, we hope we can help you bring a little piece of home to Berkeley. We hope you all have a very safe and fun Fourth of July!