There is a lot to love about Summer – backyard BBQ, city park picnics (also BBQ), municipal swimming pools, frisbee, baseball, fireflies and so much more – but the moment everyone looks forward to is a single 20 minute segment in early July, and you already know what it is.

But in the Smokies of East Tennessee, the magic of the 4th of July isn’t just 20 minutes after sundown, it lasts the whole day starting 5 minutes after 11:55PM on July 3rd with the Midnight Parade in downtown Gatlinburg. This parade has been a tradition in Gatlinburg for years and years and for more than an hour, you and the whole family can watch an amazing patriotic parade – and that just BEGINS the 4th of July celebration!

Then after that, starting at 10:00AM is the River Raft Regatta at Christ in the Smokies in downtown Gatlinburg where you can race any unmanned, objects that will float toward the goal at Ripley’s Aquarium. This event is sponsored by the City of Gatlinburg Special Events Office and the Gatlinburg Recreation Department.

In Pigeon Forge, Patriot Park is having Patriot Fest at 12:00PM. The whole park becomes a center of activity with a huge sound stage, lots of activity, food tents, cooling off station, music by half a dozen acts on the stage that is specifically built for the occasion (headlined this year by singer-songwriter Joe Diffie) and much more that go on until the fireworks start between 9:30PM and 9:45PM. The fireworks in Gatlinburg start at 10:00PM and if you’re already downtown, you won’t have to go far. The fireworks in Gatlinburg are designed to be seen from anywhere on the downtown sidewalk.

Come spend your 4th of July here with us in the Smokies! See more on these events at www.mypigeonforge.com and www.gatlinburg.com.