Alice plans two-day Independence Day festival for nation’s 250th birthday

Alice will turn its Independence Day celebration into a two-day festival at 1723 FM 1554, packing July 3 and July 4 with music, contests, a military flyby and a fireworks finale timed to the nation’s 250th birthday. The city is using the semiquincentennial to push the holiday beyond a single night of festivities, with the program running from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. each day and aimed at drawing families from across Alice and Jim Wells County.

The celebration is free and family-friendly, and organizers are encouraging attendees to bring lawn chairs. The City of Alice is sponsoring the event with the Alice Convention and Visitors Bureau, while NRC Alice Natatorium & Waterpark is listed as the coordinator and the sponsor of the fireworks show. Organizers are also looking for food vendors, merchandise vendors and small businesses to take part, signaling that the festival is meant to fill the grounds with more than just stage entertainment.

Friday’s schedule opens at 4 p.m. with the festival itself, followed by opening ceremonies at 5 p.m. A talent show will run from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and a car show announcement is set for 7 p.m. before Los Heartbreakers close out the evening with live music. Saturday will start again at 4 p.m. and add a fuller lineup built around food and family activities.

The second night will feature competitions in chicken, ribs and fajitas, along with an “ultimate cook” winner announcement. A watermelon-eating contest and a cake walk are also on the schedule, alongside performances by The Spinoffs, Christina y Los Latinos and Whiskey D. The evening will include a military flyby before fireworks at 10:15 p.m., giving the event a ceremonial finish as well as a community one.

The timing places Alice inside a larger statewide and national commemoration. America250 says July 4, 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and its July 4 week programming runs from July 3 to July 5. Texas also has a Texas America250 initiative tied to statewide commemorations, putting Alice’s two-day festival in step with holiday observances across the state while giving local performers, cooks and vendors a public stage in one of Jim Wells County’s biggest summer gatherings.