KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha’s annual Independence Day festivities are set to return over the next two weeks, bringing a veterans parade, a two-day lakefront festival, fireworks over Lake Michigan and significant traffic and parking restrictions throughout the city’s downtown and HarborPark areas.
The celebrations begin Sunday, June 28, with the Kenosha Civic Veterans Parade presented by Snap-on. The parade will feature veterans organizations, marching bands and live entertainment. According to the City of Kenosha, streets along the parade route will be closed from approximately noon until 3:45 p.m., while roads within the parade staging area will begin closing at 9 a.m.
The parade will begin on Seventh Avenue at Washington Road and travel south along Seventh Avenue before continuing through downtown on Sixth Avenue. The route ends near Library Park, where parade units will disband. A city map shows staging areas stretching along the lakefront north of the parade start, with disbanding operations centered around Library Park after the event concludes.
The celebration continues July 3 and July 4 with the annual Celebrate America Festival in the HarborPark district. The free festival will feature live music on two stages, food and beverage vendors, children’s activities and a carnival. Organizers say the event is presented by the City of Kenosha, Happenings Magazine and Kenosha County.
The festival’s Shoreline North Stage will be located near 54th Street and Second Avenue, while the Shoreline South Stage will be near Kenosha Tap House at 56th Street and Second Avenue. Musical acts scheduled throughout the weekend include Eddie Domino & The Domino Effect, The Chain, Fast Times, Boys and Toys, Yankee Cowboy and several other regional performers.
The Rainbow Valley Rides carnival will operate in the Southport Marina parking lot at Third Avenue and 58th Street. Carnival admission is $3, while children 12 and younger are admitted free with a paid adult. City officials say anyone 17 or younger must be accompanied by a guardian who is at least 25 years old.
The weekend’s signature event, the Festival Foods Fireworks display, is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. The fireworks show will once again be produced by pyrotechnics company The Mad Bomber and launched over the lakefront.
Motorists should expect significant traffic changes beginning July 3. Starting at 11 a.m., traffic east of Third Avenue between 54th and 56th Streets will be converted to a one-way counterclockwise loop. That traffic pattern will remain in place until the morning of July 6.
Additional restrictions will take effect on July 4. The east end of Celebration Place will be closed to both vehicles and pedestrians. Between 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., traffic will be prohibited east of Third Avenue between 54th and 56th Streets, including the Calabria Way area, due to safety concerns surrounding the fireworks display.
For the fourth consecutive year, the general public will not be allowed to drive or park on Simmons Island during the Independence Day celebration. The roadway will be barricaded at multiple locations, including Seventh Avenue and 50th Street and Kennedy Drive at 45th Street. City officials say the restrictions are intended to improve safety and enhance the visitor experience. Pedestrian access will remain available.
Only Simmons Island residents, the Coast Guard and visitors conducting business with the Kenosha Water Utility, Great Lakes Yacht Sales or the Kenosha Yacht Club will be allowed to enter the island by vehicle.
Kennedy Drive will operate as a one-way northbound route beginning at 8 a.m. July 4. The traffic pattern will run from 44th Street through Kennedy and Pennoyer parks before exiting near 35th Street. The one-way operation is expected to remain in place until 1 a.m. July 5 to reduce post-fireworks congestion.
To help move visitors around the city, free shuttle and streetcar services will operate throughout July 4. A special trolley route will run between the downtown transit center and Carthage College, while another shuttle will transport visitors between the transit center and Simmons Island. Free streetcar service will also operate through HarborPark and downtown areas during the celebration.
City officials are encouraging visitors to use downtown parking facilities, including the parking ramp at Eighth Avenue and 56th Street, and take advantage of the free transportation options rather than attempting to drive directly into the most congested lakefront areas.
