On the South Fork, fireworks are never limited to the Fourth of July, but, this summer, the Fourth falls on a Thursday and skyline spectaculars are being held practically all month long.
Starting at the farthest hamlet eastward into the Atlantic Ocean is the Montauk display. Stars Over Montauk, hosted by the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, promises fun for the whole family next Thursday. The spectacular can be viewed from any location within the hamlet, really, and from almost any of the ocean beaches, but if you want to perch directly under the pyrotechnics at Umbrella Beach, do not wait until the last minute. Showtime is at 9:15 p.m., but you would be best advised to pack a dinner, a lantern, and a couple of sweatshirts to snuggle in for the evening by 5.
For the adult crowd, over 21, the Montauk Chamber of Commerce offers a viewing-party boat trip, with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres beginning at 6 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. dinner cruise that boards at the Viking Fleet dock. Tickets for the all-inclusive event — with food, drink, and live music by the Realm — cost $150 and can be secured at montaukchamber.com/events.
Traveling west, the next highlight on this month’s fireworks map is the Devon Yacht Club in Amagansett, which holds its annual display by the Grucci family of Bellport on Saturday, July 6, just after dusk, around 9. The Devon fireworks tradition began in 1947. While the yacht club itself is open only to members, anyone can see the show from the nearby beaches of Gardiner’s Bay (Fresh Pond, Barnes Landing, Big Albert’s, or Little Albert’s), which are only minutes down the road.
The same date as the Devon extravaganza in Amagansett, the Sag Harbor Yacht Club will host its John A. Ward Independence Day Fireworks (possibly starting slightly later, around 9:30). The show lights up the harbor and is best viewed from Havens Beach, Marine Park, the Long Wharf, or from a boat riding the tide in the harbor itself. Several boat charter companies and pleasure-cruise services offer viewing rides, including the yacht Valkyrie (valkyriesailing.com) and the American Beauty (americanbeautycruises.com).
Another great location for boaters to watch from the water, bobbing at anchor, is Three Mile Harbor in Springs. If you aren’t going to be around for the actual Fourth of July week, do not fret: The Clamshell Foundation’s annual light-up of the sky will be held on Saturday, July 13, again at dusk. The tradition began decades ago as the Boys Harbor annual fireworks display; the nonprofit Clamshell Foundation took over the mantle from Boys Harbor in 2009. It is a favorite for many. The best viewing sites are at Maidstone Park, Sammy’s Beach, Gann Road, or any waterside pull-off off Hand’s Creek Road or Springy Banks Road. A special feature of the night is a radio simulcast of specially selected music from Bryan Cosgrove on 88.3 WLIW-FM.
Also on July 13 at 9 p.m. is the Shelter Island Fireworks. They will light up the sky above Crescent Beach. In this case, Crescent Beach is really the best and only place to watch them — unless you have access to a private house nearby or can watch them from a boat or across the water on the North Fork.
Finally, there is the North Sea Fire Department, at 149 Noyac Road, which mounts not one but two fireworks displays during its annual carnival at Firemen’s Field, across from department headquarters, from Tuesday through Saturday, July 6. On the evenings of July Fourth itself and again on Friday, July 5, the sky above the Tilt-A-Whirl and Ferris wheel will glow with color and reverberate with noise.
