Our celebration of Independence Day continues on Friday, July 5th, with a special afternoon and evening of live music, great food, and concluding with "Fireworks Over Franklin". Activities get underway at 5:00 p.m.
Please Note: This page will be updated often as the date approaches. Updates will also be posted on our Facebook page.
TRAFFIC ALERT & INFORMATION:
Iotla Street Closed 4:00pm until 10:00pm
Main Street Closed beginning at 8:00pm
First Street & Van Raalte Street Closed beginning at 12 noon for Fireworks Display Preparation
Whitmire Property Closed to the Public Including Franklin Skate Park
PLEASE NOTE: Vehicles on the streets after closures will not be able to be moved until the streets re-open.
5:00 to 9:15 p.m. - Great food available including Ben's Backdraft BBQ, Thai Spice, Kona Ice, M's Ice Cream, and Red's Lemonade!
5:00 to 7:00 p.m. - Live Music with Mission Accomplished at the Gazebo on the Square
8:00 p.m. - Main Street Downtown closed to vehicular traffic
7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - Live Music from Intermission at the Gazebo on the Square
8:00 p.m. - Main Street closes to traffic (follow detour)
8:30 to 9:30 p.m. - Live Broadcast by 104.9 FM WFSC
9:30 p.m. - "Fireworks Over Franklin" produced by Munnerlyn Pyrotechnics ... Tune your radios to 104.9 FM WFSC for the fireworks display soundtrack featuring Patriotic and Americana Music.
Main Street in Downtown Franklin will be closed to traffic beginning at 8:00 p.m. This will allow for great viewing from the east end of Main Street.
First Street and Van Raalte Street will be closed beginning at Noon.
The Whitmire Property will not be open to the public on Friday, July 5 in preparation for the fireworks. This includes Franklin Skate Park.
In other areas note that this is a park & watch event.
A perimeter around the fireworks display site will be secured throughout the day and evening. No admittance by any unauthorized personnel on grounds of fireworks show. This area will be clearly marked and only authorized personnel will be allowed within the safety zone.
* Weather Permitting / Rain Date: TBA / Schedule Subject to Change
"Mission Accomplished" is an Asheville, NC based classic rock cover band made up entirely of Mission Health colleagues. Who knew that three surgeons, a nurse, a pharmacist and a data scientist have so much fun rocking out together?!
Performing from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Intermission performs a variety of music from pop to gospel. You're sure to enjoy their performance from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
The Town of Franklin is pleased to be working with Munnerlyn Pyrotechnics to produce "Fireworks Over Franklin" for 2024.
Munnerlyn is unrivaled in their pyrotechnic artistry, incorporating the newest and best technologies in the industry into their amazing displays.
Munnerlyn promises one heck of a show this year that everyone will fondly remember!!
Presented by the Town of Franklin with support from the Franklin/Nantahala Tourism Development Committee (TDC).
Tune your radios to 104.9FM WFSC for the live soundtrack to "Fireworks Over Franklin". WFSC will begin broadcasting live from Downtown Franklin beginning at 8:30 p.m. to make sure you get all the latest information on the evenings show and celebration.
On July 5th, the Town of Franklin will secure perimeter around the fireworks display site at 15 First Street in Franklin, NC, throughout the day and evening.
There is NO admittance by any unauthorized personnel on grounds of fireworks show. This area will be clearly marked and only authorized personnel will be allowed within the safety zone.
Spectators are not allowed to park or view the show within the "hot zone" or launching site. All vehicles parked in the restricted area will be towed.
Fireworks Over Franklin is launched from 15 First Street. This is also know as the Whitmire Property. (see map below)
The elevation of the property allows for great viewing from many locations including: East Franklin, Town Hill and many points in between.
Fireworks shells will be fired at 9:15 pm and 9:30 pm. These test shells will help you determine if you need to move to a different location for better viewing.
In the event the show has to be postponed due to storms or heavy downpours, a rain date will be announced.
The rain date will be determined by the Town of Franklin and the display provider.
104.9FM WFSC Radio will be broadcasting live beginning at 8:30 pm with all the latest information.
The Town of Franklin has had to make the decision to move the Fireworks Over Franklin to Friday, July 5th due to a change in pyrotechnic vendor. “Having worked with the same vendor for multiple years prior allowed us to have the best chance of scheduling for July 4th; however, when trying to develop a relationship with a new vendor, we are behind other established clients,” said Town Manager Amie Owens. The Town has requested permission from the Board of County Commissioners to have the fireworks display on July 5th.
Jeff Hale of Hale Artificier, the vendor that the Town previously used, has retired and as he explained, “Like myself, a number of my older operators are simply just aging out, and try as we might, we are facing a real shortage of qualified, licensed personnel to fill the need for the busy July season. In some cases, it can take nearly a year to get new operators through the training, federal clearances, and the licensing process.”
The plan is that the Town will still host the traditional July 4th activities downtown on the 4th including the parade, Little Mr. and Mrs. Firecracker and Patriotic Pet contests, food trucks, free water and free watermelon. On July 5, we will have food trucks and live music before the fireworks and Main Street will be closing at 8:00 p.m. to allow for seating on and premium viewing from town hill. The fireworks will begin at approximately 9:45 p.m. and will be shot from the Whitmire Property.
“We know that some will be disappointed that the fireworks are on a different day, and truthfully, we are too; however, the Town is working with the new vendor to ensure that in the future, July 4th displays are possible and hope that everyone will be supportive and come to the festivities on both days this year,” said Owens.
This is a park & watch event. A perimeter around the fireworks display site will be secured throughout the day and evening.
No admittance by any unauthorized personnel on grounds of fireworks show. This area will be clearly marked and only authorized personnel will be allowed within the safety zone.
Presented by the Town of Franklin NC.
Please Note: This page will be updated often as the date approaches. Updates will also be posted on our Facebook page.