4th of July (live, mall, safe)

[noah]

How early do you have to go to have a chance to get in to the national mall to see the fireworks. How about the concert at the capital. Do you have to be there all day or could you go at 4 or 5pm.

[mettler]

I went at lunch last year. I sat at the Lincoln Memorial with friends and was probably down there around 5. It was already packed..and that was during rain.

[juniperbleu]

Do they close the Mall once a certain number get there (like at the Inauguration)? I live a few blocks away and was thinking of going to the Mall or some other close-by vantage point to watch the fireworks, but I don't really want to sit out there for several hours. Where do they shoot the fireworks from, over the Anacostia River? The only time I saw them was while driving on the GW Parkway, so I don't remember where they were coming from.

[mettler]

I don't think they close anything, but there is a lot of food and beer stands..I actually had a pretty good time. If I remember correctly they fire the fire works from the war memorial at the far end of the reflection pond, but I could be wrong. The most chaos is when everyone is leaving..total chaos.

[PenguinSix]

I used to show up early for the fireworks, but honestly if you try hard enough you can find a good spot just walking up late. The concert is a different matter--you need to be early for that.

The key is the wind--do not sit downwind of the firework launch area--the smoke will obscure your view.

[juniperbleu]

Awesome, thanks!

[wylekaters]

A great place to watch the fireworks is from the Iwo Jima Memorial...last year we got there at about 7 and it was PACKED.

It's a great showing from there though, if you wanna get outside the city.

[jam5]

Another place I recommend going to in order to view the fireworks would be the Arlington Memorial Bridge, which is closed off to vehicular traffic on July 4th. It's just a short walk from the Arlington Memorial Cemetery metro station on the Blue Line.

Everytime I went there, it wasn't as crowded as it would be on the mall -at least on the bridge itself. Which is rather puzzling to me because the view from there is excellent.

[juniperbleu]

Is it safe to say that almost anywhere in the vicinity (where you don't have a tall building in your way) would be decent? I'm not sure where I'm going to be earlier in the day so I don't know if I'll have a chance to stake out a spot for a few hours. Ideally I'd prefer somewhere near the Mall, Capitol, Smithsonian, or East/West Potomac Parks since I can easily walk and avoid the Metro.

Thanks again!

[chessimprov]

I can't find information on the concerts in DC for 4th of July. I keep getting random stuff about staying overnight nearby. This kind of thing is supposed to be easy to lookup. help please, thank you!