Crowds flock to Ala Moana to celebrate July Fourth with good food, great company

MAGIC ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) – Big crowds flocked to Ala Moana Beach Park Tuesday morning to celebrate the Fourth of July, many arriving in the early morning hours.

As soon as the Magic Island opened at 4 a.m., families pitched up their tents and fired up their grills.

It’s a tradition many say they’re hoping to keep alive despite the annual fireworks show not returning for another year since the pandemic.

“We are setting up for the Fourth of July celebration although there’s no fireworks we wanted to bring the ohana down to the beach and enjoy the holiday,” said Faith Kalamau, who was one of the many families who came to Ala Moana.

Burgers, hot dogs and chips are often staple items for a beach day in Hawaii. Hawaii butcher Bryan Mayer joined HNN at the park to show us how to grill the “perfect burger.”

If you’re thinking about spending some time at the beach, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Avoid using mental stakes to tie down tents as it could hit a sprinkler system.
• Properly dispose of charcoal by allowing it to cool down first (or dousing it with cold water), wrap it up, then throwing it in the designated garbage can. Make sure the charcoal is not burning.
• Be courteous to other parkgoers. Clean up after yourselves and don’t leave your trash.
• Fireworks are not allowed on the beach.

Meanwhile, the city has closed Puuloa Beach Park in Ewa Beach to the public in hopes to reduce the use of illegal fireworks on this holiday. The closure is from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday morning.

While there won’t be firework shows near Ala Moana, you can still catch a good show in at Kailua Beach, Haleiwa Beach Park, Pearl Harbor and Hukilau Marketplace.

On neighbor islands, you can watch sparks fly at Hilo Bay, Kailua Bay, Vidinha Soccer Field on Kauai, Campbell Park in Lahaina.

For more events happening across the state, click here.

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