Fireworks, food trucks, and fun are on deck for this year’s Light Up the Sky Fourth of July celebration, hosted by Friends of Portsmouth. While the sparks will fly over Spartan Stadium this year, organizers say the long-term plan is to bring the party back where it belongs—along the banks of the mighty Ohio River.
🎆 Celebrate Independence Day, Stadium Style
This year’s celebration kicks off Thursday, July 4, at 5:00 p.m. when the gates at Spartan Stadium swing open for an evening of all-American entertainment.
🎤 Live Music Lineup:
- 5:15 PM: Courtney Jo Band brings their high-energy country and rock to the stage.
- Followed by: Monkeys Uncle
- Closing out: The Fortunate Sons
🍔 Food trucks, vendors, and inflatables for kids round out the family-friendly festivities. And at 10:15 PM, the skies will explode with color as Portsmouth’s signature fireworks display lights up the night.
Can’t make it inside the stadium? No problem—organizers say you can still catch the fireworks from your car in the surrounding area.
🌊 Looking Ahead: Fireworks Back on the River?
Some locals have asked: When will the 4th of July celebration return to the riverfront? The answer: Soon—as in, post-revitalization soon.
The Friends of Portsmouth say they fully intend to move the festivities back riverside once work on the Portsmouth Riverfront Revitalization Project is complete. And judging by the size of the investment, it’s going to be worth the wait.
💰 A $32.4 Million Vote of Confidence
Last year, Governor Mike DeWine stood on Portsmouth soil and dropped a red, white, and blue bombshell: $32.4 million in Appalachian Community Grant funding is coming to transform the waterfront.
“This is your plan. We’re funding it because we believe in you,” said the Governor, who received a standing ovation for the announcement. The upgrades include:
- A new amphitheater named for Grammy-winning opera singer Kathleen Battle
- A makeover for Alexandria Point Park with a scenic overlook and fishing dock
- Doyle’s Landing improvements and new recreational trails
- Street art installations, a campground, and new riverfront paths
DeWine emphasized that local communities are steering the vision. “We asked for big ideas. We wanted things that would be transformative.”
🚀 Next Stop: A Riverfront Renaissance
So, while this year’s 4th of July bash will be rocking Spartan Stadium, the future of Portsmouth’s Independence Day is looking even brighter—and splashier—down by the river.
Until then, bring your lawn chairs, your appetite, and your dancing shoes to Spartan Stadium. Because whether it’s at the 50-yard line or river’s edge, Portsmouth knows how to throw a patriotic party.