Gallup plans all-day Stars and Stripes Celebration on July 4

Gallup will hold its Stars and Stripes Celebration on Saturday, July 4, at the Gallup Sports Complex, 925 Park Avenue, with a full-day schedule that ends in a drone show around 9:20 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and Park Avenue will close between Zuni Road and Fourth Street to keep the site clear for public safety and emergency access.

The schedule runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the softball tournament, noon to 6 p.m. for the gourd dance, noon to 9 p.m. for vendors and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the concert. The drone show will launch from Hozho Academy, shifting the evening focus from the sports complex to the school site across town.

Staff will be onsite from 6 a.m. until midnight, with the public portion of the celebration running from noon to 9:30 p.m. The 2026 program will follow a similar format to recent years, keeping the mix of sports, Native cultural performance, food and live entertainment.

The event lands on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Gallup has used drones as the centerpiece of its Fourth of July show in recent years. In 2024, city staff requested 500 drones for the Independence Day event, with the show lasting about 10 minutes. In 2025, Gallup worked with Pixis Drones on a 500-drone Fourth of July light show.

The Stars and Stripes Celebration has long brought together live music, gourd dance, food and family activities. In 2026, the city is again using the holiday to center a public event at the sports complex.