Fourth of July Memorial Park Concert

Fireworks and Free Live Music

The Bank of the West Celebrates America Concert in Memorial Park is one of the largest community events in Omaha. The tradition has been alive since 1987, with FREE admission and a closing fireworks display encouraging crowds as large as 80,000 to attend. The event occurs every year around the July 4th holiday and encourages free-will donations to local charities in lieu of ticket fees, and includes involvement from local high school musicians, underscoring the community focus of the show.

For many, the annual concert marks a tradition that is one of the high points of the summer. Though the artists selected usually have a pretty tough mandate—appeal to a wide age range of audience members, none of whom paid to be there—the closing fireworks are always a hit with both young and old. The event has featured established national bands, including Styx, Foreigner, and Kansas as well as The Guess Who and Grand Funk Railroad in 2009, KC & The Sunshine Band, REO Speedwagon, Three Dog Night, The 5th Dimension, Village People, The Beach Boys, The Four Tops, America, The Temptations, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons…to name a few.

The concert does tend to make midtown traffic something of a nightmare, but the University of Nebraska at Omaha opens its lots to alleviate the strain a little, with additional parking available in the neighborhoods north of the park. Once inside, concert-goers will enjoy the family-friendly atmosphere, a jumbotron screen providing overflow views for those that don’t wish to fight their way to the front. The concert is an alcohol free event, but organizers encourage people to show up early to stake out their blanket space—and enjoy the show! There aren’t many food vendors so make it a family affair and bring a picnic!

Awesome aerial photo of the Bank of the West Celebrates America Concert