4th of July Family Fun Day at Tidelands Park

The City of Morro Bay’s signature Independence Day celebration – and the 2026 edition is wrapped around America’s 250th anniversary.

Tidelands Park on the Embarcadero, Saturday July 4, from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with live music, a bike parade, the kids’ carnival, lawn games, BBQ, and the kind of community day that defines small-town California Fourth of Julys.

Schedule:

• 10:30 AM – 4th of July Bike Parade. Beginning at the Northside of the Morro Creek Pedestrian Bridge and ending at Tidelands Park. Deck out your bike in your patriotic best – motorized bikes and skateboards welcome, prizes for the most patriotic, the most creative, and the most over-the-top.
• 11:00 AM – Concert: Rosewood and Honey. Central Coast favorites Jenny, Danny, and Mike bring their signature acoustic harmonies to the Tidelands bandstand. Rosewood and Honey’s range runs from Crosby Stills & Nash to Kacey Musgraves to Fleetwood Mac to Coldplay to Dua Lipa, all wrapped in vocal arrangements that are the band’s calling card. Their set closes with a national anthem by their own Jessy George.
• 12:00 PM – Opening Flag Ceremony. The official Independence Day flag raising.
• 12:15 PM – Hot Dog Eating Contest. A genuinely entertaining annual tradition.
• 1:00 PM – Concert: Sound Investment. Local SLO-based dance band Sound Investment takes the stage – classic rock, pop hits, disco, funk, country, Motown, “Dance Music You Can Bank On.” Their setlist spans generations and their stage time is reliably the most crowded part of the bandstand lawn.
• All day – Carnival and Bounce House. $5 wristbands per child cover unlimited play across the carnival games, bounce house, and lawn activities. Family-friendly games and contests run continuously through the afternoon.
• All day – BBQ, facepainting, and lawn games. Sponsored in part by Gilligan’s Sandwich Shop and the Kiwanis Club of Morro Bay.

The carnival side is family-focused; the music side draws a broader crowd; the harbor sets the entire scene. Bring cash – food and drink vendors are cash-only.

Looking for the Friday night portion? The 4th of July Weekend kicks off Friday July 3 with the Friday Night Festival at Tidelands Park – The Molly Ringwald Project at 6:00 PM and a drone show at 9:00 PM. And the Waterfront Market is running all weekend (Friday through Sunday) in the parking lot between Giovanni’s Fish Market and Stax Wine Bar.

To see everything happening across Morro Bay this holiday weekend, browse the calendar.