Celebrate the Fourth of July

14 free ways to celebrate Independence Day around San Antonio

San Antonio, Fourth of July, Independence Day, fireworks

A fireworks display over Woodlawn Lake Park will wrap up the city of San Antonio's annual July 4th celebration.

San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department/https://www.facebook.com/SAParksandRec/posts/pfbid0PmHtCjRGuLryc9omFfam2BKQdo3XjxzFU1Fa81pjUBvRPC5xePoZ783n31NAREfZl

While San Antonio has its share of patriotic Fourth of July events, several area suburbs and towns will put on their own Independence Day bashes filled with parades, music, food and fun. Here’s a look at some notable upcoming holiday happenings in the area.

All events on this list are free, and many will have food and beverages available for purchase.

Shavano Park’s Independence Day picnic
June 29, 10 am to 1 pm
The city of Shavano Park will hold its annual Independence Day celebration before the Fourth of July at its City Hall campus (900 Saddletree Court). The fun will start with a mini-parade, followed by children's activities, music, food, a mini-water park, patriotic pie and poster contests, petting zoo, pony rides and more. Dress accordingly.

Boerne Concert Band’s Independence Day Concert
June 30, 6:30 pm
The Boerne Concert Band, an all-volunteer group, will play a variety of music in a concert at Boerne Main Plaza (100 N. Main St.), including classic patriotic staples. The concert band will be joined by the Boerne Jazz Band.

Helotes’ Independence Day Celebration
July 3, 6 pm
The city of Helotes will present its Independence Day party at Helotes Festival Grounds (12210 Leslie Rd.) complete with food and beverages for purchase, live music, and fireworks. Attendees may bring chairs or blankets to watch the fireworks. Pets are not allowed, but service animals will be permitted.

Schertz’s Fourth of July Jubilee
July 4, 9:30 am to 9:30 pm
The city of Schertz will present its 48th annual Fourth of July Jubilee, which will begin with the Let Freedom Run 5K and a parade from downtown Schertz to Pickrell Park. From there, guests may enjoy a carnival including live music, swimming pool activities, games, and rides. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. The evening will end with a fireworks display. The parade starts at Clemens High School, at the intersection of Elbel Road and Schertz Parkway. The later events will be held at Pickrell Park (703 Oak St.).

Alamo Heights Fourth of July Parade
July 4, 10 am
Alamo Heights residents will put on their annual Fourth of July parade, which will start at the intersection of Argyle and Patterson, and end at Cathedral Park at the Episcopal Diocese-West Texas (111 Torcido Dr.). Anyone from the Alamo Heights community may take part in the parade, which will end with light refreshments and singing of some patriotic songs.

Terrell Hills’ Fourth of July Parade
July 4, 10 am
The city of Terrell Hills will hold its annual Independence Day parade, involving pedestrians, classic cars and bicyclists. The parade will begin at the intersection of Eldon and Ivy, and end on Geneseo Parkway, where there will be a picnic including food, music, a petting zoo, children’s activities, and a chance to check out a city fire truck and police car.

Hollywood Park’s Independence Day Parade and Picnic
July 4, 10 am
Hollywood Park Community Association will help put on the city’s Fourth of July parade, which will start at City Hall (2 Mecca Dr.) and end up at Voigt Park (701 El Portal Dr.), where visitors may hang out and enjoy the public swimming pool, splashpad, and other activities around the park, as well as food, children’s activities and music.

city of san antonio july fourth fireworks

San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department/Facebook

A fireworks show over Woodlawn Lake Park will wrap up the city of San Antonio's official Fourth of July celebration.

San Antonio Stars and Stripes on Houston Street Parade
July 4, 11 am
The city of San Antonio will hold its Stars and Stripes street parade downtown (518 E Houston St.), featuring vintage military vehicles, fire trucks, classic cars, marching bands, and local and regional cultural and heritage groups.

San Antonio’s Fourth of July Celebration at Woodlawn Park
July 4, 11 am to 10 pm
The San Antonio Parks Foundation and the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department will co-present the city of San Antonio’s official Independence Day celebration, which will begin with a mini-parade around Woodlawn Lake Park (1103 Cincinnati Ave.), and fitness activities. There will also be food trucks, beverage vendors, carnival games, a DJ, live music, children’s activities and more. A fireworks show over the lake will wrap things up.

Heart of Texas Concert Band presents “An Alamo City 4th”
July 4, 3 pm
Heart of Texas Concert Band will celebrate the nation's birthday by performing with the River City Ringers of San Antonio in a patriotic concert at Trinity Baptist Church (319 E. Mulberry Ave.).

Leon Valley’s Fourth of July Festival
July 4, 4 pm
The city of Leon Valley will hold its 30th Fourth of July Parade, a community event that will include food trucks, vendors, live music, and a fireworks display. Stop by at Raymond Rimkus Park (6440 Evers Rd.).

City of New Braunfels presents Fourth of July fireworks
July 4, 6 pm
The city of New Braunfels’ Live @ Landa music series will conclude with a concert and fireworks show the Fourth of July. There will be live music, kids’ activities, food trucks, and other activities leading up to a fireworks show at Landa Park (164 Landa Park Dr.).

San Antonio’s Salute at Sunset July 4th River Parade
July 4-6, 8 pm
The San Antonio Riverwalk will be a patriotic scene with dozens of decorated floats saluting all branches of the military, offering patriotic entertainment, and more over three straight nights.

Boerne’s Independence Day fireworks show
July 4, 9 pm
The city of Boerne will hold its annual Fourth of July fireworks show at Boerne City Park (106 City Park Rd.). Food trucks will be on site, but visitors may bring their own snacks and beverages in canned or plastic containers.

july 4th independence day fireworks san antonio fourth of july

Movie Review

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 plays to the interests of video game fans

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie in 2020 was one of the few video game adaptations that managed to appeal to both fans of the Sega game and those who just want to watch a fun movie. As the series moved into a second and now third film, though, it’s become increasingly reliant on giving the video game fans what they want, with not as much attention paid toward simply telling a good story.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) continues to live with human friends Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), as well as Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba), who stuck around after the events of the second film. Dispensing with any kind of narrative coherence, the trio is called away by an undefined military force to help with the escape of Shadow (Keanu Reeves), another alien hedgehog who has been locked away off the coast of Japan for many years.

Suffice it to say that the trio does not initially fare well against the powerful Shadow, forcing Sonic to do the unthinkable: Ask his nemesis, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), for help. What Sonic doesn’t anticipate is that Shadow has a history that left him with a grudge against most of human society, and he’s intent on using his powers — with a little help from his former mentor, Gerald Robotnik (also Carrey) — to exact his plans for revenge.

Made by the same team of director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the film is a combination of manic action, jokey sequences, and a dash of heart. The addition of Shadow ups the mayhem considerably, and the filmmakers rarely slow things down (although, oddly, the super-speed of Sonic and company feels lessened this time around).

The initial casting of Carrey gave the comic actor permission to indulge in whatever wackiness he could imagine, and giving him two roles in this film means double the nonsense. Ivo and Gerald (who’s Ivo’s grandfather, for the record) face off in a number of silly scenes, none more absurd than a dance sequence aboard a space station threatening to explode Earth (yeah, this movie is a lot).

Does the plot make a lick of sense? Absolutely not, but the filmmakers seem to acknowledge that fact, throwing anything and everything at the screen to try to entertain kids and/or fans of the video game series. It should come as no surprise that the end credits tease yet more characters from the video games joining the franchise, making it abundantly clear who is expected to get the most enjoyment out of the series going forward.

In addition to Carrey, the voice actors continue to make the characters fun. Schwartz and O’Shaughnessey provide the cartoon-style acting, while Elba and now Reeves give a nice counterbalance with their deep and serious voices. Marsden and Sumpter aren’t given much to do this time around, and Krysten Ritter shows up as Director Rockwell, a character who’s mostly there to move what little plot there is further along.

A four-quadrant movie is one that appeals to all ages and genders; Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a one or maybe two-quadrant movie at most. But it’s more fun than the other family-friendly offering this Christmas season, and fans of the video game will likely love the depiction of their favorite characters on screen, so it’s doing something right.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now playing in theaters.

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