Skip to main content
Updated Jul 4, 2023 - Politics & Policy

In photos: Americans celebrate July 4th with parades, hot dogs and fireworks

Rebecca Falconer
The Washington Monument is seen during the Independence Day fireworks display along the National Mall in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2023.

The Washington Monument is seen during the Independence Day fireworks display along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on July 4, Photo: Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Americans turned out across the U.S. Tuesday to mark the 247th anniversary of the United States' Declaration of Independence despite heavy rains and searing heat disrupting celebrations in some cities.

The big picture: Organizers paused Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest in New York City due to the rains, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race ended early due to severe weather that included thunderstorms and some people at the National Independence Day parade in D.C. carried umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun.

Independence day of USA is celebrated with fireworks near the Empire State building in New York, United States on July 04, 2023.
Independence Day is celebrated in New York City with fireworks near the Empire State Building on July 4. Photo: Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People gather to watch Independence Day fireworks on South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida on July 4, 2023.
People gather to watch Independence Day fireworks on South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, on July 4. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
People play games by the beach at sunset amidst large crowds celebrating Independence Day after the Huntington Beach parade and before watching the fireworks celebration over the ocean at the pier in Huntington Beach Tuesday, July 4.
People play games by the beach at sunset amid large crowds celebrating Independence Day after the Huntington Beach parade and before watching the fireworks celebration over the ocean at the pier at Huntington Beach, California, on July 4. Photo: Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Residents participate in the annual Independence Day Parade on July 4, 2023 in Southport, North Carolina.
Residents participate in the annual Independence Day Parade on July 4 in Southport, North Carolina. Photo: Allison Joyce/Getty Images
A girl holds an American flag while leaping into the air as another picks up thrown candy at a Fourth of July parade in Cape Cod, Orleans, Massachusetts, on July 4. Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images
Defending champion Joey Chestnut competes in the 2023 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2023 at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The men's contest was postponed due to thunderstorms but later happened without spectators allowed into the "arena." The annual contest, which began in 1972, draws thousands of spectators to Nathan’s Famous located on Surf Avenue.
Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, who this year ate 62 franks and buns in 10 minutes to retain his title at the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest on July 4 at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Photo: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
An actor impersonating Benjamin Franklin reads the Declaration of Independence on Independence Day at George Washington's Mount Vernon in Mount Vernon, Virginia, on July 4, 2023.
An actor impersonating Benjamin Franklin reads the Declaration of Independence on Independence Day at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia, on July 4. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Shane Smith & The Saints perform on stage during Willie Nelson's 4th of July picnic and fireworks show at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on July 4, 2023. The annual Independence Day event, created by US country musician Willie Nelson, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Shane Smith & The Saints perform on stage during Willie Nelson's annual Fourth of July Picnic and fireworks show in Austin, Texas, on July 4. Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images
The Washington Monument is seen as participants march during the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2023.
Participants march past the Washington Monument during the annual National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C., on July 4. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
People huddle under umbrellas during a rainstorm before a Fourth of July parade in Cape Cod on July 4, 2023 in Orleans, Massachusetts. Today marks the 247th anniversary of the United States' Declaration of Independence from England.
People huddle under umbrellas during a rainstorm before a Fourth of July parade in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on July 4. Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images
President Joe Biden speaks alongside First Lady Jill Biden (L) and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R) during a barbeque for active-duty military families in honor of the Fourth of July on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, July 4, 2023.
President Biden speaks alongside first lady Jill Biden (left) and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (right) during a barbeque for active-duty military families in honor of the Fourth of July on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
People watch from Navy Pier in Chicago as fireworks are set off on July 1, 2023, to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend.
People watch from Navy Pier in Chicago as fireworks are set off on July 1 to celebrate the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend. Photo: Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Go deeper