Star Spangled Sanford

Ft. Mellon Park will be open from 7 AM until Sunset (weather permitting) for everyone to enjoy the enormous park playground, basketball courts, pavilions and the splash pad (admission required for splash pad). Stroll, bike or skate along the lakefront, rent a boat or Jet Ski for fun on the lake, grab a bite to eat or picnic under a shade tree and sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of beautiful Lake Monroe.

It’s no longer a secret that our Star Spangled Sanford vendors start serving at 6 PM for those ‘early-birds’ who come to secure the best vantage points with their blankets and chairs!  And if you come hungry, check out all of the food trucks waiting to serve you. Grab a spot to check out the cirque entertainment (7 to 9 PM) along Seminole Boulevard, throw a Frisbee, people watch and catch up with friends and family you are bound to see!  Come early and avoid the lines for hotdogs, hamburgers, a snow cone or two and maybe even some kettle corn! Get pumped for an amazing fireworks show celebrating America’s 247^th year of Independence on our nearly five mile long Riverwalk on the shores of Lake Monroe.

Beginning at 7 PM the Waterfront Celebration begins with great tunes, an expanded Kids Play Zone sponsored by Ladies 327, live entertainers, food, drink, and merchandise vendors along with radio station K92.3 keeping it festive.

At 9:15, get ready to enjoy a spectacular pyrotechnics show choreographed to fun upbeat tunes and patriotic music over Lake Monroe. The sound system reaches from San Juan Avenue to Palmetto Avenue so everyone can enjoy the tunes along the waterfront. Once again, the show produced by Zambelli International is choreographed specifically for our beautiful lakefront site and will include thousands of shells to produce this spectacular show.

Public restrooms (some portable) are available in Ft. Mellon Park, along Seminole Boulevard and at the corner of Sanford Avenue and Commercial Street.

Road Closures will begin at Midnight on Monday, July 3^rd and reopen by 11 PM on Monday, July 4^th and include the following streets:

• Seminole Boulevard, from Palmetto Avenue to Mellonville Avenue;
• 1st Street, from San Juan Avenue to Sanford Avenue;
• Sanford Avenue, from Seminole Boulevard to Commercial Street; and
• Mellonville Avenue, from Seminole Boulevard to 1st Street;
• Access to Marina Isle is restricted with no public parking. [The public boat ramps close at 10 AM with parking available in the municipal lot at Seminole Boulevard and Palmetto Avenue.]

Download Event Schedule

The Downtown Sanford Marina is the fireworks launch site for Star Spangled Sanford.  For the public’s safety, this requires that access to the Marina and the operations at the Marina must be modified beginning Friday, June 30^th and until after 10 PM on the 4^th. 

Friday, June 30th:  Trailer parking will be limited as preparations for Star Spangled Sanford begins. Additional parking is available in the paved lot at the SW corner of Seminole Blvd. and Palmetto Ave.

Noon on Monday, July 3rd:  The Downtown Sanford Marina will close at NOON on Monday, July 3rd and will reopen at 7 AM on July 5th.  Limited parking is available near the Marina on Monday.  Guests of the St. Johns River Steak and Seafood Restaurant, St. Johns Rivership Company and Buzz Boats are welcome to park in available spaces in the eastern lot until 5 PM on Monday, vehicles left unattended will be towed for public safety.

10 AM on Tuesday, July 4th:  The public boat ramp at the Downtown Sanford Marina will remain open until 10 AM when personnel will secure and monitor the area to ensure a safe fireworks show. Any remaining vehicles and trailers will be towed at the owner’s expense. Boats already in the water may access the marina’s east basin until 4 PM.

4 PM, July 4th:  The east basin of the Marina closes – no boats may enter or exit due to the safety zone required for the fireworks show.

~10:15 PM, July 4th:  All boats may enter back into the Marina’s east basin after the fireworks show and the Fire Marshall gives the all-clear following a safety check.      

Thank you for helping us make this a safe 4th of July!