How to Celebrate 4th of July at Home

When we think about the 4th of July, we imagine the colorful fireworks display in town, the procession of military men, the star-spangled delicacies, and the laughter of friends and family. It’s a day full of joyous laughter, hearty meals, and games. There are so many things you can do that will surely lift everybody’s mood, and get everyone in a high spirit. 

For years we were used to celebrating the 4th of July outdoors. But, we can actually celebrate it inside the comfort of our own homes. We can bake cakes, create colorful crafts and decorations, play trivia questions, and cook delicious meals. To know more about the different fun activities during this day, read more below. 

Setting Up Your 4th of July Celebration at Home

Celebrating the 4th of July at home has a lot of perks. First, you can freely decide on the designs and themes you would want to incorporate in the decoration. Second, you can easily plan the activities for the day. Lastly, you have free reign on the number of guests based on your home’s capacity. But, before we tackle the activities for the day, let’s first plan your 4th of July decorations.

When it comes to decorating your home, you would want it to be as fun-filled and celebratory as possible. The most common color palettes you can choose are red, blue, and white. And, if you want it to be budget-friendly, there are tons of options you can do. 

Start decorating your home by planning the designs you want for each area of your house. An easy way to do this is to check platforms, like Pinterest, for ideas. With this, you can visualize how your space would look like for the celebration. This can also help you with picking a theme or tying all your 4th of July ideas together. 

If you haven’t chosen a theme yet, don’t fret. We have listed five ideas you can do for your 4th of July celebration. 

Backyard Waterpark

Help combat the summer heat by turning your backyard into a fun-filled waterpark! Decorate your backyard with inflatable pools, confetti, and flags. Add a picnic table on the side to keep everyone full, as they lounge on the hammocks and play in the pool. 

Don’t forget to play some water and backyard games to energize everyone. You can use inflatables with the color theme of red, blue, and white. Create a bandana star garland, paper pinwheels, and wreaths for added decoration on the picnic table. For the food to serve, you can try cooking a steak chimichurri and grilled pineapple. 

The first step is to heat the grill to medium. Then, in a bowl, mix the peppers, 1 tbsp oil, and ¼ tsp of salt and pepper. Season the steak with ¼ tsp of salt and pepper. Once done, you can grill the steak for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, and let cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing it. 

Creating the juicy pineapple dipped in coconut sugar and cinnamon is super easy, too. To create the perfect grilled pineapple, you’ll have to prepare the sauce. Mix the coconut sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. Sprinkle the sauce on each side of the pineapple slice, then grill each side for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer it to a clean plate, and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Ice Cream Party

Everybody loves desserts! Beat the heat, and have a fun and cool 4th of July Ice Cream Party. This one can be celebrated both inside the house or in the backyard. If you plan to celebrate indoors, you can decorate the dining room or living room with pastel-colored decors, ice cream garlands, wreaths, flags, and table cloth. Have some 4th of July-themed cupcakes on the side, along with food of your choice, served on the table.

For outdoor decorations, it’s best to hang a donut lantern on your back porch or tree. You can set up a table decorated with ice cream cups and spoons, paper flowers, and ice cream streamers. To make this theme have the patriotic spirit, sprinkle your ice creams with red and blue stars, and serve red and blue popsicles. You can also add some flags on the cupcakes to honor the day. 

BBQs and Movies

It would be nice to spend the day roasting barbecue and watching movies underneath the stars with your loved ones. Celebrate the day, watching Independence Day movies in your makeshift backyard theater, using a white cloth as a screen. You can decorate your backyard with a simple patriotic windsock, burlap banner, painted flower pots, patriotic signage, and lantern jars. 

Make the food all-American, served in the flag’s colors, on top of an on-theme decorated table. You can even create the famous beef and mushroom burgers. Simply prepare your burger patty, tomatoes, lettuce, burger bun, mushroom, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and oil. 

The first step is to use a food processor to pulse the mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, beef, and onion. Then, create it into four patties, and cook. Lastly, serve it in a toasted bun with lettuce and tomato. Your beef and mushroom burger is ready to eat! Don’t forget to serve hotdogs, corn dogs, and roast marshmallows, too!

Carnival-Themed Independence

Kids and adults both love carnivals! It’s a place where you can enjoy fun rides, play different games, and eat carnival snacks. So, why not turn your house into a carnival for the 4th of July? 

You can even go all out, and design your front porch into a ticket booth. You can either make a ticket booth replica or attach a printout on the wall. Meanwhile, you can decorate your living room, and arrange the furniture for indoor carnival games, such as mini basketball hoops, stacks of cards, and hula-hoop relays. If you have space in your backyard, you can either move the fun there or add more carnival games. 

Remember to decorate the kitchen as well! Serve popcorns, hotdogs, cupcakes, and sweets in red and blue plates and paper cups. Lastly, create this sweet and colorful red and blue waffle. Kids can help make them, as you guide them in whisking the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Add the two mixtures together, and stir. The next step is to heat the mixture in a waffle iron. Afterwards, transfer to a wire rack to cool. In this last step, let your kids scoop ice cream, and spread evenly on the waffle. Let them coat the edges with red, blue, and white sprinkles. Freeze for 4 hours to 2 days before serving. 

Hollywood-Themed Party

Become movie stars for a day! 

Design your home into a grand theater and music haven. Create a red carpet using red cloth or paper, and add a mini stage in your backyard where you can have fun activities. You can also put Hollywood and golden cut-outs on the walls and tables. 

To make it work with the celebration, use 4th of July theme colors on your paper plates and desserts table. And, to stick with both themes, you can even do a performance, reenacting day of independence on stage. This will be a great way for children to learn history and commemorate the day. 

Celebrating 4th of July at Home

It wouldn’t be a celebration without games and activities! We all love a good laugh and a challenge. So, do prepare yourselves for these fun, yet challenging games that will test your knowledge, patience, and teamwork. 

Below is a list of 4th of July indoor games you can try at home. 

4th of July Trivia Night

Challenge your guests and family to an Independence Day trivia night! Prepare trivia questions about Independence Day or US history, and have teams answer them correctly. Whoever wins gets to eat the yummiest dessert. 

Patriotic Balloon Pop

Prepare one “You win!” note and several blank notes. Put one inside each balloon before inflating them, then scatter it in your living room. Have everyone pop the balloons using any of their body parts, and whoever gets the “You win!” note, gets a prize. 

4th of July Charades

Put a twist on the famous game by listing famous people, events, and symbols for the 4th of July. Group the players, and have them take turns to guess the word. Each team must guess the word correctly in less than five minutes. 

Flag Tag

Divide your guests into two groups. Divide your playing area into two territories, and stick five mini American flags on the ground on the farthest side of each team’s territory.

A more tiring version of Capture the Flag, the goal of this game is to have one team capture the other’s flags, and stick them on their territory. Be careful not to get tagged by the opposing team though, or you’ll have to stay in the enemy’s territory and be saved. 

You can play the game for 10 minutes each round, and the team to get the most number of wins gets the prize.

Watermelon Eating Contest

Slice the watermelon in quarter slices. Lay them on the table, and have the guests eat the slice in five minutes without using their arms and hands. Whoever finishes their slice first, wins the game.

4th of July Indoor Fun!

Celebrating 4th of July doesn’t have to stop if you can’t go out of the house. There are tons of fun, 4th of July activities you can do in the comfort of your own home. You can turn it into a mini-park or an oasis to celebrate this special day. It will also be easy to organize and control since you are in your own space. 

Aside from these, your creativity and artistic skills are put to the test. Old clothes and materials can be used to decorate your home, and turn it into a festive place. Plus, it’s a good family bonding project, as everyone pitches in in setting up the house. So, instead of feeling bad for not being able to go out this year, try these ideas to spruce up your 4th of July celebration.