red white and blue fireworks over the capital building

Things to Do

Fourth of July fireworks shows have been canceled, but you can still celebrate

DC’s iconic Fourth of July fireworks show likely won’t look the same as it has in years past, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get patriotic over the holiday weekend.

By Katie Bianco June 9, 2020 at 3:17 pm

Here, we’ve rounded up five Independence Day alternatives you can experience—all from the comfort of your couch.

The runaway Broadway hit Hamilton was scheduled to return to The Kennedy Center this summer and, while it’s been postponed, you can still experience the thrill of the history-meets-hip-hop powerhouse from home. On July 3, Disney+ will release a filmed version of the show to the delight of surprised fans. The Mouse House’s original plan was to release the movie in the fall of 2021. View the documentary, Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway, a behind-the-scenes look at Lin-Manuel Miranda’s path from page to stage on Amazon Prime. Or rewatch the entire cast pull off a happy, tears-inducing musical reunion on John Krasinki’s YouTube hit Some Good News.
Locals got a peek into the magic of movie making in summer 2018 when the cast of Wonder Woman came to town to film scenes for the sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, with locations including the Landmark Mall in Alexandria and the American History Museum in DC. While the summer tentpole, originally set to bow in June, has been pushed back to August, we suggest getting prepped with a rewatch of the Gal Gadot-helmed original—because we could all use a hero dressed in red, white and blue right about now.
The pyrotechnics over DC’s monuments are the star of the show on July 4, but the red, white and blue booms are also accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra at the U.S. Capitol and a star-studded lineup of celebs as part of A Capitol Fourth. Last year alone, host John Stamos oversaw a musical tribute that included Carole King, Vanessa Williams and even the cast of Sesame Street. You can watch this year’s broadcast on PBS or view highlights from past years on PBS’s website.
If you ask your friends what the best Fourth of July-themed movie is, you’re likely to get multiple answers. But we’re putting in a plug for 1996’s Independence Day. The nation—and the world—come together to fight an invisible enemy. Action star Will Smith makes us laugh and cry as he saves the day. And who doesn’t get chills when movie president Bill Pullman gives his stirring “Independence Day” speech—reminding us that more unites us than divides us?
In 1986 when Top Gun came out, a generation of moviegoers fell in love with Tom Cruise (and decided they all wanted to be fighter pilots). The long-awaited sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, is finally ready to take a bow and let us all revisit the patriotic, Hollywood hit. Like Wonder Woman, the release date had to be pushed (this one until December), but pop some popcorn and watch the trailer on YouTube, followed by a viewing of the original, where Maverick, Goose and the guys all take to the sky.