Fort Lee Freedom 250 to feature music, food, massive fireworks

FORT LEE, Va. — Central Virginia’s annual U.S. Army Independence Day Celebration is open to the community, filled with family-friendly fun and tightly wrapped in a Freedom250 banner of Americana patriotism.

The Fort Lee Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Directorate expects more than 15,000 FLVA community members to gather in celebration of 250 years of independence July 2 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Williams Stadium.

“This is going to be the greatest celebration in Fort Lee history,” said Dan Gauvin, event organizer and FMWR Community Recreation Division chief. “Annually, Fort Lee has the best fireworks in Central Virginia, and, thanks to our event sponsors, we enhanced the size of the show to make one epic display for this momentous occasion.”

The 59th Ordnance Brigade Salute Battery’s "Salute to the Union" performance will feature live howitzer blasts. Spiked and DJ Elixir will perform up-tempo music on the main stage, along with magic from Jonathan Austin and free line dance classes from instructor Tanya Potts on a secondary side stage.

Attendees have a variety of food and beverage options with over 20 food trucks lined up around the stadium.

There will be a larger variety of food and beverages from local food truck owners. FMWR has expanded a free KidZone, which opens at 5:00 p.m. with inflatables and activities like a bounce house, rock climbing walls, sports activities and a slide for youth.

While the event is well-attended by families, the largest demographic is usually young service members—namely Soldiers, as more than 30% of the U.S. Army population trains at Fort Lee—and, in many respects, the installation Independence Day celebration is for this population.

“Enjoying downtime together builds the social experience that can bond Soldiers together to become high-performing, resilient teams when under pressure,” Gauvin said. “Additionally, it takes Soldiers out of the training environment to celebrate in a low stress event. Celebrating at events like the Freedom250, allows Soldiers to decompress, step away from the daily grind, recharge the mental readiness and enjoy camaraderie off duty.”

The best event outcome is that it brings military and off-post community members together, Gauvin said.

“The American spirit is felt all around by all that attend,” he said. “Those who have lived close by in the tri-cities area are familiar and have a history of celebrating Independence Day on the installation for decades. Over the years, coming to Fort Lee to celebrate Independence Day is their family tradition. They look forward to being around the military, supporting those that serve and thanking them for preserving American freedoms and ideals.”

It is a good idea to show up early for available bleacher seating and/or to bring blankets and lawn chairs for comfortable seating on the stadium field.

Personal pyrotechnics, tailgating, tents, umbrellas, glass bottles, smoking, backpacks, coolers and pets are not permitted in or around the event area. Clear plastic and mesh see-thru bags can be carried into the stadium, and they are subject to search by security personnel.

Fireworks will begin at approximately 9:35 p.m. The postponement due to severe weather will be July 3 (fireworks and KidZone only) and announced through social media.

All attendees will need to complete installation security checks, and 100% Real ID checks will be in effect for all persons 18 and older. The installation security check can be completed via the Visitor Pre-Registration System no later than June 30 by visiting https://home.army.mil/lee/access

For questions about installation access contact the Visitor Control Center: 500 Gregg Avenue, Bldg. 5228 (Dukes Building) Fort Lee, VA 23801 804-734-5053/5056/5058

For more information on the event itself, call +1(804) 734-7821.