Fireworks will cap off Ocean City’s Fourth of July festivities at 9 p.m. Thursday, July 4. The display will highlight a holiday week filled with family fun.

The fireworks will be launched from a barge in the ocean near the Music Pier and will be best viewed from the beach or Boardwalk between Fifth Street and 14^th Street. A musical simulcast will be broadcast over the boardwalk PA system and available to stream online at www.ocnj.us. The beach curfew in Ocean City has been extended to 10 p.m. for July 4.

The fun starts on Wednesday as the Ocean City Pops will once again give a pair of free outdoor concerts on July 3 and July 4 to celebrate Independence Day. In 8 p.m. shows at Carey Stadium (just off Boardwalk between Fifth Street and Sixth Street), the Pops will perform patriotic classics and audience favorites in honor of our nation’s birthday. Bring a beach chair or blanket to sit on the field, and there will be seating available in the bleachers. The July 4 show will be followed immediately by the holiday fireworks, and Carey Stadium provides a great place to view the display.

At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 3, the first of the summer’s Wacky Wednesdays will feature a good old-fashioned apple and cherry pie-eating contest. No hands allowed. The contest is free, and open to all ages, but it will be limited to 150 participants. Wacky Wednesdays invite families and individuals to participate in a series of different contests. They are held at the Ocean City Music Pier (Boardwalk at Moorlyn Terrace) promptly at 10:30 a.m. every week of the summer.

The Fourth of July in Ocean City always starts with a set of family bike parades. Participants are encouraged to dress and decorate their bikes in the spirit of the holiday. The events are free and no advance registration is required. The Gardens parade starts at 10 a.m. at the Longport Bridge parking lot with registration opening at 9 a.m. The route makes its way to East Atlantic Boulevard with a finish near Beach Road with refreshments available. The South Ocean City parade starts at 10 a.m. at 40^th Street and Asbury Avenue (also with 9 a.m. registration). This parade ends at the playground at 52nd Street and Haven Avenue with refreshments for participants. The Riviera Neighborhood parade starts at noon at the Rosemar Lane Park (with 11 a.m. registration).

A kite-flying competition will start at 7 p.m. July 4 on the beach near the Ocean City Music Pier. At the same time, a yo-yo demonstration will be held in front of the Music Pier.