Fourth of July in Long Beach

Even if you don’t buy a ticket to board the Queen Mary, there are other options for viewing Long Beach’s Fourth of July fireworks display. The pyrotechnics show over Queensway Bay around 9pm is easily viewable from most of the Long Beach waterfront’s attractions, including Lions Lighthouse in Shoreline Aquatic Park, Shoreline Village, Rainbow Harbor and Marina Green. If you’d rather watch from the water, you can also set sail with City Cruises or Harbor Breeze Cruises, which depart from Rainbow Harbor on the Fourth. Earlier on Friday, the Aquarium of the Pacific hosts a 4th of July BBQ at noon ($70). And for some early fireworks action, there’s also “Big Bang on the Bay,” a block party and fireworks show on the eastern edge of the city over Alamitos Bay on July 3 (5pm, fireworks 8:30pm, tickets $85).