4th of July Weekend: Friday Night Festival at Tidelands Park

Morro Bay kicks off its 4th of July Weekend Celebration on Friday night with a full-on Friday Night Festival at Tidelands Park, anchored by an 80s tribute concert from The Molly Ringwald Project at 6:00 PM and a drone show at 9:00 PM that closes out the night.

The Molly Ringwald Project (tMRP) is one of the Central Coast’s top-drawing tribute acts, formed in 2012, with a sold-out track record from Mission Plaza to The Cliffs to The Siren. Their setlist runs from arena rock to synth-pop and back: Van Halen, Madonna, Prince, Cyndi Lauper, the whole golden age of big hair, neon colors, and shoulder pads. 80s outfits are highly recommended.

At 9:00 PM, the festival caps off with a drone show over the harbor – a modern Independence Day finale that lights up the Morro Bay skyline in choreographed formations. This is the City of Morro Bay’s first drone show celebration tied to the 4th of July weekend and a fitting headline for America’s 250th anniversary.

Food trucks line the park throughout the evening. A beer garden keeps the adults stocked. And out on the water, the Chablis – the floating bar operated by Big Rock Charters – is open, turning the harbor into part of the festival.

Free admission. Bring layers; the harbor cools off fast after sunset. The Friday Night Festival is the adult-leaning bookend to Saturday’s Family Fun Day, which kicks off the next morning at 10:30 AM with the annual Bike Parade.

For more shows and events around town this weekend, the HelloMorroBay calendar has the rest.