FESTIVE FACE PAINTING: Morven Museum & Garden is offering face printing and other activities at its annual Fourth of July Festival, a free public event at Morven, and at nearby Battlefield State Park. It iwill be held from 12 to 3 p.m. at Morven and includes art activities, music, and more. The Battlefield site will offer a reading of the Declaration of Independence at 1 and 3:30 p.m.. For more information and registration, visit morven.org. Pictured is an activity from 2024. (Photo by Sean Zujkowski)
By Wendy Greenberg
Although this July 4, 2025 is just a year shy of the nation’s upcoming 250th megastar Semiquincentennial, this year doesn’t lack for celebrations and meaningful events. Marking the 249th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, are municipal parades and fireworks, at least four readings of the foundational Declaration of Independence (including where it was originally read on the date and time), and two readings of Frederick Douglass’ powerful address: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Fireworks span more than a week, from some earlier events, to Thursday, July 3 (Ewing), to as far out as July 11 (New Hope, Pa.).
Celebrating in Mercer County and environs may be particularly meaningful as the Battles of Trenton and Princeton were crucial to the outcome of the Revolutionary War, and George Washington and his troops crossed through the area.
In 1783, Morven, which had been the home of Declaration of Independence signer Richard Stockton, hosted Congressional delegates celebrating Independence Day when the Continental Congress met in Princeton. Morven Museum & Garden continues this tradition, using its role as the home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence and as New Jersey’s first Governor’s Mansion to engage the public in activities that explore and reflect on the nation’s history.
Morven, 55 Stockton Street, will hold its annual Independence Day festivities on Friday, July 4, from 12 to 3 p.m. For this event, access to festival activities at Morven, Princeton Battlefield State Park, and Clarke House is offered free of charge.
Morven requests an RSVP at morven.org/upcoming/fourthofjuly25.
Stop by Morven any time between 12 and 3 p.m. for activities and artmaking with community partners, garden tours, face painting, music from the Vintage Vibe Tribe, food trucks, a chance to sign the Declaration of Independence, and more. The museum itself will be open with half-price admission.
A short distance away, check out Princeton Battlefield State Park and the historic Clarke House. The Declaration of Independence will be read by Will Krakower, resource interpretive specialist with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and battlefield historian, at 1 p.m. and at 3:30 p.m. The Clarke House is open free of charge.
On Friday July 4, Unionville Winery presents the Great American Vineyard Cookout at Unionville Vineyards, 9 Rocktown Road, Ringoes from 12 to 6 p.m. The free family celebration includes live patriotic music by the marching brass band New Orleans Renaissance, gourmet burgers and dogs by Ottoburger, and a live reading of the Declaration of Independence at 3 p.m. More information is at unionvillevineyards.com.
The Declaration of Independence also will be read on Friday, July 4 at Washington Crossing Historic Park on the banks of the Delaware River in Washington Crossing, Pa., where Washington famously crossed the river and marched toward Trenton. The park welcomes families to go back in time to July 4, 1776, at the Visitor Center for Living History Day from 12 to 4 p.m. In addition to watching living historians demonstrate their crafts, and seeing a military encampment, a highlight will be the reading of the Declaration of Independence at 12:30, 1:30 2:30, and 3:30 p.m.
Join historian and author David Price at 2 and 4 p.m. as he explores the iconic “Ten Crucial Days” winter campaign of 1776-77, a defining moment in the American Revolution. He will present a thematic analysis of the campaign, focusing on five key factors that shaped its outcome: leadership, geography, weather, artillery, and contingency, examining how these overlapping elements combined to thwart British plans at a critical juncture in the war, enabling Washington’s army to achieve a series of pivotal victories and turn the tide of the Revolution. He draws from his latest book, Winning the Ten Crucial Days: The Keys to Victory in George Washington’s Legendary Winter Campaign.
Tickets are $9 for adults ages 12 and over; $5 for children ages 5-11; and free for those under 5, active-duty military, and members of the Friends of Washington Crossing Park. Families with up to two adults and two children living in the same household can purchase a single Family ticket for $25. Local Harvest Pizza and Rita’s Ice will be on site.
Pre-registration is recommended. Admission to Bowman’s Hill Tower is included in a ticket to Living History Day. Register at washingtoncrossingpark.org/event/living-history-day-2025.
On Saturday, July 5, the park presents Colonial Field Day 2025, a spirited colonial-style competition from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and 1 to 2:30 p.m. Attendees will play popular games from the 18th century, including cup and ball, Jacob’s Ladder, hoop and stick, and more. The winning family will receive a family membership to the Friends of Washington Crossing Park. Participants will also receive a hands-on craft kit. Space is limited for this event.
To register, visit washingtoncrossingpark.org/event/colonial-field-day-2025.
The Rebels & Redcoats Classic Car Show, which is held annually on Independence Day weekend at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania, will be held on Sunday, July 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The rain date is July 13. The show includes cars from model years 2000 and earlier, which are from a manufacturer based in one of the primary “belligerents” of the American Revolution (U.S., Britain, Germany and France), and other models. Proceeds from this event fund educational programs and field trips hosted by Friends of Washington Crossing Park. Spectators need not register or purchase tickets.
On Monday, July 7, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., the community will virtually come together through the Princeton Public Library to read an amended version of orator and writer Frederick Douglass’ influential speech, given on July 5, 1852, in Rochester, N.Y., to the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society. The speech is titled “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” This year’s opening speaker is President Jonathan L. Walton of Princeton Theological Seminary. Community members who want a reading part can request one, if there is space, on the registration form, which is at princetonlibrary.libnet.info/event/13769315. The Zoom link will be sent when registered.
Organizing partners are Princeton Public Library, Nassau Presbyterian Church and Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church Joint Mission Committee, Not In Our Town Princeton, Paul Robeson House of Princeton, and Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton.
Community partners are African American Cultural Collaborative of Mercer County, Arts Council of Princeton, Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, Center for Modern Aging Princeton, Coalition for Peace Action, Historical Society of Princeton, John H Pace Jr ‘39 Center for Civic Engagement at Princeton, Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Mass Incarceration Task Force, Morningstar Church of God, Morven Museum and Gardens, Muslim Center of Greater Princeton, Presbytry of the Coastlands, Princeton Jewish Center, Princeton Nursery School, Princeton Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, Theological Seminary, Princeton United Methodist Church, The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Princeton, Trenton First Baptist, Trenton Literacy Movement, Trenton Spoken Word, and YWCA Princeton.
The City of Trenton, with its own legacy of milestone events in 1776, holds distinctive commemorations and celebrations over Heritage Weekend, July 4 through July 8.
Trenton’s reading of the Declaration of Independence will be at noon on Tuesday, July 8, at 23 South Warren Street — at the same time and same location as its first public reading in Trenton 249 years ago.
Heritage Week events, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Trenton and the City of Trenton Department of Recreation, Natural Resources and Culture, begins July 4 from 12 to 4 p.m. with a Democracy Day picnic and “I Have a Dream” program at Mill Hill Park, East Front and Broad streets. Some of the events planned for Mill Hill include readings, poetry and spoken word reflections, and the Magnetic Force Smooth-Steppers Drill Team. The event concludes with a rousing rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Bring chairs and tables, and cook-out materials.
Later, the skies will light up as the Trenton Thunder baseball team will play at 6 p.m., and conclude with fireworks. Tickets for the baseball game are at mlbdraftleague.com/Trenton. The fireworks are sponsored by the Mercer County Improvement Authority. The event will feature an Uncle Sam Great American Picnic.
Festivities continue in Trenton Saturday, July 5 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., with the Heritage Churches of Trenton Walking Tour, meeting at Trenton Library, 120 Academy Street; and at 3 p.m., History Chats at St. Michael’s, including “the faked Declaration of 1775 and the birth of the Jersey Devil,” at St. Michael’s Church, 140 N. Warren Street. At 4 p.m. the William Trent House, 15 Market Street, is the site of a reading of Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” with songs of the period.
On Sunday, July 6, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the New Jersey State Museum has free exhibits. The New Jersey State Planetarium has fee-based admission, $10 and $5 children under 12, 205 W. State Street. The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, on Parkside Avenue in Cadwalader Park, is open from 1 to 4 p.m. with a free exhibit, Trenton’s Treasures. More information is at ellarslie.org. The William Trent House, 15 Market Street, is presenting “George Washington Takes Command — the Journey Through Jersey — 1775, at 2 p.m., a free presentation by historian Paul Soltis.
Free New Jersey State House tours, 145 West State Street, will be ongoing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, July 7 (reservations are required at njstatehousetours.org).
Heritage Weekend concludes on Tuesday, July 8, with the Declaration of Independence “annual proclamation” at noon, at 23 South Warren Street—where it was first read. At 1:30 p.m., a repeat of the Heritage Churches of Trenton Walking Tour, is planned, meeting at St. Michaels.
For more old fashioned fun, a decorated bicycle parade highlights Doylestown, Pa.’s, historic Fonthill Castle’s annual July 4 program from 12 to 4 p.m.at 52 East Court Street. The afternoon of food, games, crafts, entertainment and live music includes a decorated bike parade, wheelbarrow and sack races, live musicians, and food trucks. Antique bicycles, historic town ball (a precursor to baseball), and other activities await, for $7 adult/$5 youth (6-17)/$3 child (5 and under). Tickets are available at mercermuseum.org/event/fonthill-castle-4th-of-july-3.
In addition to the fireworks at Trenton’s ballpark, area municipalities are also lighting up the sky. Although some municipalities celebrated earlier, among the upcoming celebrations are East Windsor, at dusk on Saturday, July 5 at Etra Lake Park, Disbrow Hill Road, which will include music from about 6 p.m. Rain date is July 12.
In Cranbury, fireworks are on Saturday, July 5, at dusk, in Village Park, with a rain date of Sunday, July 6.
In Ewing, fireworks are Thursday, July 3, at The College of New Jersey Green Lane Fields, with pre-fireworks activities beginning at 6:30 p.m.
In New Hope, Pa., fireworks are Friday, July 11 at dusk, with a drone show over the Delaware River, seen from Stockton Avenue.
Shady Brook Farm, 931 Stony Hill Road in Yardley, Pa., presents a program with fireworks on Saturday, July 5. Tickets are required for the “unWINED” concert and fireworks at shadybrookfarm.com/products/summer-unwined-concert-saturday-july-5-2025-fireworks.
Philadelphia, where the Declaration was debated and signed, has its own fireworks on Friday, July 4th around 9:30 p.m. on Ben Franklin Parkway at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, following the Wawa Welcome America Concert. Visitors to Philadelphia can check out the National Constitution Center and Museum of the American Revolution. Details are at visitphilly.com.