Children sit in front of an American flag at the Star Spangled Fest at Auditorium Shores in Austin, Texas, on July 4.
Chairs and blankets covered the lawn at Auditorium Shores as thousands of friends, families and couples sat close together, decked out in red, white and blue. Fireworks erupted, backed by the sight of the Austin skyline.
The festivities were a part of Star Spangled Fest, an annual event commemorating the Fourth of July, in downtown Austin on Saturday. This year’s event marks the United States’ 250th anniversary and a return after organizers canceled last year’s celebration due to extreme flooding.
The event featured the Austin Symphony Orchestra, as well as artists Tomar and the FCs and Shelby Stone. Founded in 1911, the orchestra hosts and performs annually at the Fourth of July event. As a free event, Star Spangled Fest gives the group of musicians a way to connect with a range of Austinites.
“There’s something really beautiful about tens of thousands of different people coming together with the symphony, celebrating the Fourth of July,” said Justus Zimmerman, CEO of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. “Celebrating with live music is very much an Austin tradition. For the live music capital of the world, that’s how we do it. So to me, it’s the purest expression of our community impact.”
Mayor Kirk Watson briefly took the stage, honoring the lives lost in the Central Texas Fourth of July floods that occurred last year.
The festival included a marketplace featuring various businesses selling their products. House of Wick, a candle company founded by Kirtana Nakka, retails handcrafted candles made in Austin.
Nakka said markets like Star Spangled Fest are great for interacting with interested customers.
“I love the experience of coming to the markets, connecting with the customers. I love to listen to their stories,” Nakka said. “(With) my dog candles, the keepsake candles, people usually come out and show me their pets’ pictures and tell little stories about their pets. That’s the best part I love about markets.”
The event also included food vendors selling dinner, drinks and desserts. Frank Lopez, owner of Churro Burro ATX, received a request to work the event after previously working at the Austin Trail of Lights, an annual holiday light show at Zilker Park. Lopez said the special nature of the U.S.’ 250th anniversary would make the event memorable for years to come.
“Sometimes I’m just the churro guy, but then sometimes I’m Frank the churro guy,” Lopez said. “I love that I have that. All those special (memories) I have in my head. On my deathbed, I’m gonna be thinking about them, just like today. I know where I was for the 250th. I was here … it’s just special.”
This year, the orchestra played alongside a drone show for the first time.
The event concluded with a fireworks show over Lady Bird Lake. Crowds rested along the grass at Auditorium Shores and the Long Center, lined Drake Bridge and sat on paddleboards across the water’s surface. Attendee Thomas Blauvelt said he comes to see the fireworks annually.
“I try to come out every year, and it’s a fun event the city puts on,” Blauvelt said. “It’s probably the best fireworks show in the area.”