Central PA 4th Fest will return on Independence Day with a scaled-back celebration centered at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Organizers say they have adapted this year’s event to match available funding and volunteers while preserving the traditions that have defined the festival for 25 years.
The annual celebration begins Saturday morning with the Firecracker 4K before festivities shift to Medlar Field at 4 p.m.
“We definitely have a smaller footprint, and that was really based on the financial support in the community for the event,” Central PA 4th Fest executive director Celesta Powell said. “It’s a very expensive event to host.”
This year’s celebration eliminates many of the outdoor activities traditionally held in the parking lots surrounding Beaver Stadium. Instead, nearly all programming will take place inside Medlar Field, allowing organizers to reduce costs while maintaining the event’s signature attractions.
“The only big difference is that we did not solicit dollars that we could not get in the community in the past years for events outside, and so we are contained inside the Spikes stadium,” Powell said. “That was kind of how we needed to streamline it and make it work for everybody.”
The annual Firecracker 4K remains unchanged, with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. and the race starting at 9 a.m. Powell said nearly 800 runners have already registered.
An Independence Day parade, previously run by 4th Fest, will be organized by Freedom Rising and will kick off at 11 a.m. on College Avenue. While it coincides with the holiday celebration, Powell said it is independently organized and not operated by Central PA 4th Fest this year.
Beginning at 4 p.m., admission to Medlar Field will be free, with reserved seating inside the ballpark available for $7.76 or $17.76. Online fees may apply.
Children’s activities, including bounce houses and face painting, will be available from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Concessions will be available through the State College Spikes.
The festival will include a community all-star baseball game at 5 p.m., free birthday cake marking the United States’ 250th anniversary at 7 p.m., performances by Cirque Adventure at 7 and 8:15 p.m., the Great American Baby Race at 7:30 p.m., an honor guard flag ceremony at 9 p.m. and fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
“Instead of having shows in the parking lot, we have the baseball game, and then we have the Cirque Adventures,” Powell said. “The tradition of 4th Fest has always been to have a show somewhere in the day to kind of get you up and enjoy it.”
According to organizers, the decision reflects “reduced funding and volunteer availability.”
“Rather than scale beyond what’s sustainable, we’ve chosen to focus on creating a meaningful, high-quality experience in a single location,” organizers wrote on the event’s website.
Advanced parking passes range from $10 to $25 depending on the lot, plus fees, with prices increasing by $5 on July 4. RV parking costs $75.
“Parking is also another way that we cover the cost of the fireworks and the event,” Powell said. “We still have parking, you can still watch it from inside the Spikes or outside, depending on your choice. Those are traditional elements that you’ve always seen.”
This year’s event also carries added significance as the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
“We have always been proud to celebrate Independence Day, and we were confident going in that we would see 250 years from our country, and we’re happy to be a part of the celebration,” Powell said.
Powell said the organization’s mission has remained unchanged since the festival was founded.
“We are a patriotic 501(c)(3) charity, which means that we are here to celebrate our independence, our freedoms,” she said, “and we have been proud and honored to do that in the last 25 years.”
