Where to Watch the Boston July 4th Fireworks Tonight

Rolling with a 21-and-over crew? Night Shift Brewing’s Esplanade Beer Garden is a prime spot from which to view the fireworks and throw back a few craft brews. If you’re spending the day out with your pets, this could be a good spot, as it’s one of the few outdoor bars in the city that allows dogs. Night Shift will offer extended hours from noon until 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 4th. The sprawling space accommodates 400 people at a time and doesn’t require tickets for admission, so even if there is a line to get in, chances are that it will move quickly.

New and nearby for this year: The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel just across the street from the Esplanade and where the fireworks will be visible from the fourth-floor balcony catwalks that line the hotel’s cavernous lobby, will be open to the public.

Where to watch the Boston July 4 fireworks from the water

Paddle Boston: 15 Broad Canal Way, Cambridge, MA 02142

Charles Riverboat Company: 100 Cambridgeside Pl # 320, Cambridge, MA 02141

Don’t forget that this is a waterfront city, and watercraft abound. Each Independence Day, the Charles River chokes with anchored boats awaiting the evening’s fireworks. If you aren’t able to score an invite on a friend’s boat, a rented kayak will do just fine—and the launch location of beloved outfitter Paddle Boston in Cambridge’s Kendall Square, just across the river from the Hatch Shell, is an easy five-minute row to the heart of the action. (If they don’t have availability, look into renting from the Boston location on Soldier’s Field Road; just note that it involves about a one-hour paddle each way to and from the best vantage points.) If being chauffeured around is more your speed, the Charles Riverboat Company is doing a rain-or-shine sunset sailing aboard the Lexington, from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Kick back and relax while enjoying an open bar, a dessert buffet, and an unbeatable view of the fireworks over the city’s skyline. Tickets are $250 and can be purchased via phone.

Where to watch from the sky

View Boston Observation Deck: 800 Boylston St Floor 52, Boston, MA 02199

How about something a little more… elevated? View Boston, an observation deck that occupies the top three floors of the Prudential Tower, is offering a special adults-only July 4th viewing party. Admission grants access to both indoor and outdoor viewing options, making this a great option in case of inclement weather. General admission costs $49.99, and the VIP Experience at $150 provides access to a reserved seating area, two complimentary drinks, and a light buffet.

In Cambridge, Charlestown, and remotely

MIT: 222 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02139

The Anchor: 1 Shipyard Park, Charlestown, MA 02129

Pier 6: 1 8th St, Charlestown, MA 02129

The classic spot from which to watch the fireworks in Cambridge‘s Kendall Square is the grassy quadrangle at MIT, where a giant screen live-streams the Boston Pops concert. The view from this side of the river—with the city skyline in the background and more sweeping vantage points over the Charles River—might just beat being on the Esplanade itself.

For something with more local flavor, head across the Charles over to Charlestown, the oldest neighborhood in Boston (also known as “The Town”), where outdoor bars The Anchor and Pier 6 offer plenty of space to move around and a relatively clear line of sight to the fireworks. If you’d rather catch the show from the comfort of your own home, you can also tune in nationally on The CW, or locally on WHDH Channel 7.