It's 4th of July weekend 2011 and we can't wait for the fireworks! Yes, there are parades and pancake breakfasts to celebrate the red, white & blue this Independence Day, but who are we kidding? We are just waiting to see beautiful explosions light up the night. Grab a blanket and a friend, because we've got your rundown for fireworks across Los Angeles and SoCal at large. Most of these fireworks shows are free, and all the rest are really cheap at $5 and under, with that money generally going to charity. Happy Birthday, America!

Most fireworks start at 9pm this year, but double-check to be sure. We recommend getting to your spot a bit early because these shows can to fill up. We'll be adding more shows to this list as we find them. Please do tell us about others you know of that we don't have listed here. You can see the full list of free and cheap Independence Day events, including all the parades and concerts, on the BrokeLA.com calendar here.

Downtown & Eastside

If you're in Downtown, head to the FREE LA Memorial Coliseum Fireworks Extravaganza. One RFB bum called the fireworks at the Coliseum last year the biggest fireworks show he'd ever seen. Kicking off their free evening's entertainment, KJLH will be providing music beginning at 5pm from a stage located at the east side of Christmas Tree Lane, which is situated just east of the Coliseum. The fireworks display itself will start at dusk (approximately 9pm). The best vantage point to catch this world-class show will be at the east end of Christmas Tree Lane, as well as at the South Lawn, which is just to the north of the Coliseum, between the Coliseum itself and the Natural History Museum.

If you want to start your Inedependence Day celebrations early, catch fireworks in El Sereno on Saturday and in Eagle Rock and in Boyle Heights on Sunday, all FREE.

While not a specific event, if you hike up to the platform just below the Griffith Observatory (park in Vermont Canyon by the golf course), or drive up to the trail head by Observatory itself, you have a commanding view of the city and from there you can watch LA erupt in fireworks in all directions.

Westside

The Exchange Club of Culver City and the City of Culver City invite you to attend the annual Fourth of July fireworks show at Culver City High School. Gates open at 5pm, entertainment begins at 6:30pm, and the fireworks start at 9pm. For over 55 years the Exchange Club of Culver City has been dedicated to bettering the lives of the community's children with a special focus on the prevention of child abuse. The suggested donation of $2 per person (children under 5 are free) will help continue those efforts.

Beach Cities

The 3rd annual Palisades Rocks the Fourth concert at Palisades Charter H.S. promises to be bigger and better than last year. The concert offers a wide range of the finest local amateur and professional entertainment, playing popular and patriotic songs. Come wave the flag and sing along to Rocky Dawuni and Band (reggae), The House Band (classic rock), UCLA Cello Quartet (classical), Set Theory (jazz), and Palisades Charter H.S. Concert Band (traditional). The concert will be capped in breathtaking fashion by the annual Pacific Palisades fireworks pageant, again presented by world famous Pyro Spectaculars. The $2 donation benefits the Palisades Charter H.S. Music Department.

Sadly, the annual festivities in Marina del Rey aren't happening this year due to budget cuts. Bummer.

South Bay

Huntington Beach's Pancakes, Parade, & Fireworks makes a full day of fun on the 4th. You'll be able to work off the $5 pancake breakfast with intense parade watching and then relax under the stars during their FREE fireworks spectacular. Find a spot on the sand from the Huntington Beach City Beach between the HB Pier and Huntington Street and get ready for a blast.

At the 4th of July Celebration in San Pedro, fireworks will cap off a FREE day of live music, U.S. military exhibits, tours of a Navy frigate, armed forces, and U.S. Coast Guard demonstrations, displays by the LA City Fire Department’s firefighting boat, and the Washington Artillery Reenactment group.

The Queen Mary in Long Beach has some pretty expensive July 4th programming ($13-$25), but thankfully fireworks happen way up high in the sky, where you can easily catch the show at 9pm from your free romantic vantage point on the beach.

Valleys

4th of July Celebration at Hansen Dam in the San Fernando Valley is in its 17th year and is a FREE fun-filled family cultural affair which includes gourmet food trucks, music, free water slide kid zone, and other entertainment, which culminates with a super dramatic fireworks display.

Music! Food Trucks! Rides! Fireworks! Fun, right? All of this (and maybe more) at the 4th of July Fireworks Show in La Crescenta in the Crescenta Valley north of Burbank for all those in the Foothills community. Gates open at 4 pm, the music starts, the rides are running, the food is cooking and everyone will come in to watch fireworks! Note: The gates will close at 8:30 pm, and then shortly after 9pm the fireworks begin right on cue with the rockets red glare and a fifteen plus minute show lights up the sky. Seating is on the asphalt play yard, so make sure to bring blankets, sleeping bags or folding chairs. Getting in is just $5.

The free 13th Annual 4th of July Spectacular in Northridge, presented by Shepherd of the Hills Church and Shapell Homes, one the largest 4th of July shows in all of Southern California, features an aerial fireworks presentation, inflatable moon bounces and face painting for the kids, live music, and a wide variety of local food vendors. They'll also have a Civil Air Patrol Cadets color guard presentation honoring military service men and women.

Spectacular fireworks displays will light up the Diamond Bar night sky for FREE in the San Gabriel Valley once again during Diamond Bar's annual 4th of July Blast. Everyone is invited to grab a blanket or beach chair and join friends and family at Diamond Bar High Schooland enjoy a patriotic event including a live music performance, face painting, and special appearance by Uncle Sam on stilts and his balloonist.

Pasadena

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena is said to have the largest fireworks show in Southern California. Tickets to get inside the Bowl are $13, but the show is so big folks find great lookouts to watch the show from a distance. We hear fun places to watch include the roof of the Parson's Building parking lot in Old Town and the Echo Mountain trail above the Cobb Estate at the top of Lake Ave (hike a little ways up). You can also watch just outside the Bowl on the golf course, though parking is a hefty $20. Split five ways if you carpool that's not quite so bad.

The OC

It's not exactly LA, but it's close. Don't miss one of South Orange County's best aerial fireworks displays at the Dana Point Fireworks Extravaganza! Get out of LA proper and head down to Dana Point for a super fantastic sky party. Bring a radio along with you, tune it to KSBR 88.5FM, and check out the perfectly synchronized display over Doheny State Beach. It'll be almost like the very famous (and VERY awesome Boston Pops July 4th. You know, the one where they play lots of live patriotic music and light sparkly things over the water? Yeah, this'll be just like it.)

More resources

This site has a bunch of shows we could find no information on elsewhere, so go at your own risk. The LA Times published this list, but note that not all are in our price range, and some shows don't have much info listed. CBS's list is better. Fireworks are dangerous and also fire hazard, and as such, most of the cities in LA County have banned their sale. Please don't break the law.

Happy 4th!