Gwinnett Glows Promises Fireworks, Fun on the Fourth

Gwinnett County’s annual Fourth of July celebration will take place throughout downtown Lawrenceville again this year. All activities will get underway at 5 p.m.

Radio station 95.5 The Beat will broadcast live from Historic Courthouse Square. Live entertainment will again feature Tim Purcell and the Mustangs on the outdoor stage. Inside the Historic Courthouse, there will be a Piccadilly Puppets show at 5:30 p.m., Carey Henderson’s Magic Show at 6:30 p.m. and Steel Drums with Scott Douglas at 7:30 p.m. Other free kid’s activities on the square include a rock-climbing wall, small Ferris wheel, petting zoo, crazy copters, and a play zone for kids under 6.

Activities along Perry Street south of the Square will include the Georgia Force Street Team, midway games, temporary tattoos, and face-painting. First aid will be available at Fire Station 15 on Perry Street, and at the lost kids stations on the square and in the back of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center (GJAC) parking lot.

The GJAC parking lot will feature pony rides, dance exhibitions, an extreme bungee trampoline, American Express trains and Buccaneer Ship giant slide. The fireworks show, sponsored by local businesses, will again be fired from the Nash Street parking lot behind GJAC and will be visible all over the downtown area. Portable restroom facilities will be available both adjacent to the square and at GJAC.

There will be limited parking in the main GJAC lot with space in the back rows reserved for fireworks spectators. A short trail near the Fallen Heroes Memorial connects pedestrians to downtown. Parts of Luckie Street, Constitution Boulevard, Perry Street, Crogan Street, Culver Street and Nash Street will be closed to vehicular traffic on the day of the event.

A wide variety of food concessions will be for sale throughout the area including sandwiches, BBQ, chicken, hot dogs, corn dogs, fish, and turkey. Sweets include frozen custard, ice cream and Italian ice, cotton candy, peanuts, popcorn, nachos, French fries, funnel cakes, and fried candy.

“Gwinnett Glows has become an Independence Day tradition for tens of thousands of area residents over the past 20 years,” said Communications Director Joe Sorenson. “TVgwinnett (cable channel 23) will again provide live TV coverage and streaming video at gwinnettcounty.com. Even if you can’t make it to the festivities, you can still catch it on cable or online.”

Major sponsors include The Gwinnett Daily Post, 95.5 The Beat, Coca-Cola, Jordan, Jones & Golding, Moreland Altobelli Associates, Inc., the Gwinnett Parks Foundation and Party City.

More information and photos of last year’s event are on the County’s website at gwinnettcounty.com.