Cayucos leads the celebration with full day of festivities and fireworks; Cambria and Morro Bay offer family fun without the big bang
The Fourth of July is the first big weekend of the summer on the North Coast and falls on Friday in 2025, but this year, once again only one community will have a public fireworks show.
Cayucos
The Cayucos Chamber of Commerce and Lions Club work together every year to put on a fantastic, all-day celebration with tons of great fun to be had, starting at the crack of dawn with the Annual Sand Sculpture Contest on the beach at the Cayucos Pier.
If you’d like to take part in this cool event, you’ll have to beat the rooster’s crowing, and arrive around 4 a.m. to sign up, stake out a spot on the beach and get to work. Bring tools — buckets, spades, plastic shovels, etc., needed to make your creation(s).
These sculptures are wildly creative, celebrating the freedoms we all enjoy. Sand sculptures range from the classic sand castles with drawbridges, turrets and moats, to whimsical depictions of futuristic cities and mythical creatures. Prizes awarded for adult and kid sculptors.
The Sculpture Contest wraps up by 10 a.m., just in time for the Annual Lions Club Independence Day Parade.
The parade, which features over 40 floats and entries, is watched by upwards of 25,000 people lining Ocean Avenue. Arrive early and bring a chair to sit on. For those who try and stake out a viewing spot even earlier, rules don’t allow you to park a chair on the street nor to block sidewalks with chairs. So to avoid any unanticipated problems, come early and bring your chairs with you.
Also at 10 a.m., the Front Street Fair opens with various food and arts and crafts vendors lining Front Street overlooking the beach. The fair runs from 10 to 6 p.m.
There will also be a Lions Club barbecue to raise money for next year’s fireworks show. This should be the last year without use of the Cayucos Vets Hall, which is pretty much finished being rebuilt and just awaiting signoffs on some of the details of the massive reconstruction project that’s been ongoing for over two years.
Normally, the Cayucos Lioness Club plays Bingo in the Vet’s Hall on the 4th of July.
And then at dusk (about 9 p.m.) a public fireworks show will be shot off the pier. Get to the beach early to pick out a spot for the show.
The Chamber put out a friendly word of caution to folks coming in for the 4th of July: “If you’re visiting Cayucos on the 4th, do your part to keep illegal fireworks away, park only in legal spots, pack out your trash, respect everyone’s safe space and celebrate responsibly.”
Cambria
Once again, Cambria will not have a fireworks show, because of previous erosion on the beach at Shamel Park. The fireworks show was also canceled last year, but it’s hoped they can find a new spot to launch the fireworks for 2026, when the whole nation will be celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776).
However, the local American Legion will still be putting on the Annual Family Fun Picnic at Shamel Park.
There will be lots of fun activities for the kids, live music, and of course barbecue fare. The Fun Day runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is free to attend.
Morro Bay
Morro Bay, too, will not have fireworks again this year. The Recreation Department is holding the Annual Family Fun Day at Tidelands Park.
Festivities start early with the return of the Morro Bay Mile Skateboard Push, a race from Morro Bay High School to Tidelands Park. Organized by Skateboard Hall-of-Famer Jack Smith, signups start at 9 a.m. at Morro Bay High School (West entrance) and the race kicks off at 10 a.m.
Ride with the local skate crew, made up of skaters of all ages. Bring your safety gear — helmets, kneepads, etc. — and your board, too. Push down Atascadero Road, over the Morro Creek Bridge, and up the Embarcadero to Tidelands Park. Prizes to Best Man, Boy, Woman, Girl, Oldest, Youngest, and Best Costume (hint).
Then at 11 a.m. is the Annual Red, White & Blue Bike Parade, starting at the Morro Creek Bridge (the North Pit) and parading up the Embarcadero to Tidelands Park.
Dress in your favorite patriotic garb and decorate your bike in red white, and blue to celebrate Independence Day. The parade is free.
At Tidelands Park on the north end of the Embarcadero, the City Recreation Department’s Family Fun Day starts with live music at 11 a.m. with Rosewood & Honey with a flag ceremony led by the Coast Guard Station Morro Bay at noon.
The day continues with fun games, contests, a kids’ carnival, and bounce house ($5 carnival wristbands available). Bring a folding chair to sit on or a blanket and sit on the grass.
There will be lots of food and drinks, and a beer garden with 3 Stacks & a Rock Brewery for those over 21. At 1 p.m. The Michael Arriola Project takes the stage and will play until 4 p.m.
The party is over around 4 p.m. giving everyone plenty of time to grab some dinner at your favorite Embarcadero restaurant, and hustle up to Cayucos for the fireworks show at dusk (9 p.m.)
