WEEKEND BEST BET: Longboat Key Fourth of July festivities

Longboat Key has a festive Fourth of July weekend planned.

The weekend will kick off with the Mar Vista Fireworks “Boom Boom on the Bay” around 9 p.m. Friday, July 2, at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub, 760 Broadway. A VIP table is available for $25 per person, which includes two drinks. The event is cosponsored by Moore’s Stonecrab Restaurant, Cannons Marina and the Longboat Key Club and Resort.

The celebration will continue with the Longboat Key Freedom Fest Fourth of July celebration beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday, July 4, at Bicentennial Park. The event will kick off with a patriotic parade in which kids, parents and pets are invited to participate. Then, the fun will continue with food, games and a butterfly release with the Longboat Key Garden Club.

The event is hosted by the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by The Longboat Observer, Cannons Marina, the town of Longboat Key, Blue Dolphin Café, Casa del Mar and Pattigeorge’s. All drinks and food items will be $1, and game tickets will be four for $1.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].