Usually, the 4th of July is an exciting day of summer where friends and family come together for a bunch of fun outdoor activities and delicious food, and of course, to celebrate America’s independence.

Unfortunately, this year’s celebration is a bit different from previous years due to social distancing.

But that’s no reason to cancel your celebration; there are still plenty of fun 4th of July activities that you can still do while social distancing. To help you with that, we’ve listed 3 tips that will keep you safe, protect your loved ones, and have a memorable day.

1st tip: Only Invite People That Will Contribute To Your Goal Of Keeping Everyone Safe.

Safe and sane Fourth of July celebrations used to be about carefully managing fireworks and sparklers. Nowadays, the bigger question is whether it’s safe for friends and family to gather during the pandemic.
This year, you can’t have a lot of people crammed around the pool passing around different drinks, such as communal carafes of sangria or raspberry iced tea. This time, you’re not even supposed to use the chip and salsa bowls, instead you should be using designated servers for all foods and drinks and setting guests to eat at tables segregated by household. You should be inviting only those you trust to follow your rules.

2nd tip:Take it outside!

Since the virus is more likely to spread indoors than outdoors, try to keep everyone outside. Also it would be better if you shrink the guest list to the number of people you can safely keep at least six feet apart in your yard, in order to minimize exposure to the droplets people produce . It’s also important for everyone to wear masks to reduce the spread of said droplets. Try to limit the number of people who touch common items, such as serving spoons, spigots, bottle openers and doorknobs ,etc.

3rd tip: Alternatives to beach fun

As you might know, Fort Lauderdale is most known for its wonderful and fun beaches. Unfortunately, because of the spike in coronavirus cases, the beaches are back on lockdown in the entire state. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy beach-like activities on a small budget. So, we have a couple of suggestions to achieve that on your own:

1. To avoid large gatherings, many local shows have been cancelled. Some cities are continuing with their fireworks shows but are encouraging community members to watch from their homes or online where it’s being streamed. In the City of Fort Lauderdale there will be spectacular event in four areas, but officials urge residents to watch them at home or virtually:

• • Holiday Park – U.S. 1 and Sunrise Boulevard (18-minute show)
  • City Hall – Andrews Avenue and Northeast First Street (18-minute show)
  • Carter Park – Sunrise Boulevard and Northwest 16th Avenue (18-minute show)
  • Beach Community Center – A1A and Oakland Park Boulevard (10-minute close proximity show)

Residents living around the show locations are encouraged to watch and enjoy the fireworks shows from their backyards, front porches, patios, balconies or virtually on Comcast Channel 78, AT&T U-verse Channel 99 or on the City of Fort Lauderdale’s YouTube channel.

2. Today, you can watch the movie “Independence Day” in the parking lot at Fort Lauderdale’s Pier 66 Marina South hotel resort at this flick pop-up put on by the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. There will also be food trucks. The movie starts at 8:30 p.m.

3. Water Taxi’s ‘Red, White and Moonlight Cruises’: Fort Lauderdale’s popular Intracoastal tour and taxi charter is having a special 4th of July event with a full bar and live entertainment. Presale tickets include two drink tickets for beer or wine. From July 2 to July 4, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Finally, you should keep in mind that the pandemic isn’t over! So be careful and have a happy & safe 4th of July.