Let the Celebrations Begin: Third of July Street Dance and the Grand Old Fourth Mark the Official Start of our Bainbridge Summer!

A Message from City Manager Blair King: July 3rd and 4th are the biggest community events on Bainbridge Island. We celebrate family, community, summer, and patriotism all at once and have a good time doing it. Our island’s July 3rd Street Dance and the 4th of July celebration have been described as quintessential small-town July 4th celebrations. I agree. Many communities will have July 4th celebrations. Some of these celebrations are larger and grander, but Bainbridge Island’s is special.

On July 3rd, Winslow Way will be closed to traffic, and the community will claim the street. The sponsors of the Street Dance, the Bainbridge Island Downtown Association, will be at it again. Bainbridge High Spartans will return to town and embrace former classmates and friends. It’s an unofficial all-class reunion. There will be live music and DJs. There will be dancing in the streets. After the Street Dance comes a quick pivot. The street will be cleaned, and it will be the Chamber of Commerce’s turn.

July 4th will begin with the traditional Pancake Breakfast at the T&C parking lot that evolves into a hamburger feed later in the day. This will overlap with the Bainbridge Youth Services Fun Run. Of course, there will be a Street Fair, Classic Car Show, lots of live music, and a Family Fun Zone. However, what really makes it the 4th of July on Bainbridge Island is the incomparable small-town Parade with bands, animals, kids, cars, and local celebrities rolled into a mile-long extravaganza that begins at 1 p.m. on Madison Avenue.

July 3rd and 4th are critical times for City staff too. Before the holiday, Public Works Operations and Maintenance will be working extra hours to clean up the Winslow corridor. Then, they, along with the Police Department, will block off the streets for the festivities. Protecting the downtown Winslow event core from vehicles that may inadvertently or maliciously enter areas with a heavy concentration of pedestrians is a top public safety priority. We will test out the new Emergency Operations Center with a partial activation on the 4th. The Police Department will be at full staffing to cover the two days. Public Works will be present to make sure it supports the volunteers for the many simultaneous events. These two days stretch the City’s resources thin. There are employees who have never been able to celebrate July 4th with their families. Yes, people are compensated for working on the holiday, but at a certain point, regardless of the pay, people would like to be with family and friends too. Thank you to the public employees working on the holiday.

Let’s all have a fun and safe holiday – Blair King

July 3 Street Dance

6-11pm, Winslow Way

Live music, dancing, street fair and food, vendors, beer & wine garden, KidiMu’s Kid’s Zone.

Winslow Way CLOSED to vehicle traffic from Erickson to Madison July 3 at 12pm through July 4 activities.

Presented by Bainbridge Island Downtown Association. Learn more: Celebrate Bainbridge Island | Street Dance

July 4 BYS Fun Run

9-11am, Winslow

5k, 1 mile, and Kid’s Dash! Entrance fees go directly to BYS to support youth mental health.

Roads closed along Fun Run route. Click map for info and enlarged image.

Presented by Bainbridge Youth Services. Learn more: Fun Run Details | AskBYS

Grand Old Fourth

7am-5pm, Downtown Winslow

Parade—Madison Ave and Winslow Way, 1pm

Pancake Breakfast—T&C West Parking Lot, 7–11am

Car Show—Bjune Dr. behind Umpqua and Chase banks, 9am–1pm

T&C Main Stage—T&C West Parking Lot, 9am–5pm

Street Fair—T&C West Parking Lot and Bjune Dr., 10am-5pm

Family Fun Zone—Waterfront Park, 10am–5pm

Beer, Wine & Cider Garden—Waterfront Park by Rowing Center 11am-5pm

Several roads will be closed in Downtown Winslow. Winslow Way will close on July 3 – 4 from Erickson to Madison. Beginning at 9am on July 4: Madison Ave, Bjune Dr, and Brien Dr will close to the general public. Erickson Ave and all side roads connecting to Madison Ave will be closed to through traffic. Erickson will be used for parade staging until 3pm.

Presented by the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce. Learn more: Bainbridge Island’s Grand Old Fourth of July

As a friendly reminder:

Information and images courtesy of the City of Bainbridge Island

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