Where to travel in July: 43 festivals

Festivals and seasonal sights in 73 cities in July: Nice Jazz Festival (Nice), Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks (New York), Fourth of July fireworks (San…

Top 10

Nice

• Nice Jazz Festival — An open-air jazz festival running since 1948. For a few days each July or August the square turns into an evening stage. Tickets are sold per night.
• Bastille Day fireworks — Fireworks launched from barges at sea, watched from the pebbles. The whole promenade goes pedestrian and bags are checked.

New York

• Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks — Riverside parks fill from early afternoon. Which river is announced in spring, so check before booking a hotel.
• High-summer heat and humidity — Days feeling over 35°C are common and the subway platforms are hotter still. Museums and observation decks by day, walking in the morning and after dark.

San Francisco

• Fourth of July fireworks — Some years the fog swallows the fireworks. Pier 39 fills from early evening.
• Summer fog season (Jun-Aug) — Fog in the morning, a window of sun in the afternoon, wind again by evening. Pack only T-shirts and you'll end up buying a hoodie. The Mission stays warmest.

Honolulu (Hawaiʻi)

• Fourth of July fireworks — The island's biggest show. The lawn fills by mid-afternoon; walk, do not drive.
• Summer peak and south swells — Hottest, priciest months, but Waikiki surf is at its best and the North Shore turns flat enough to swim and snorkel.

Tokyo

• Sumida River Fireworks — On the fourth Saturday of July, 20,000 shells burst beside the Skytree and a million people line the river. Claim a spot early afternoon; stations jam for over an hour afterward.

Los Angeles

• Hollywood Bowl July 4th Fireworks — Fireworks over the hillside after the orchestra's finale, picnic baskets on every bench. This is LA's summer night; buy tickets the moment they go on sale in spring.

Hakone

• Hakone Shrine Kosui-sai Fireworks — Late July rite for the lake god, followed by fireworks over the water, with food stalls and live music on the shore. Buses back to Yumoto jam afterwards, so sleep by the lake.

Istanbul

• Istanbul Jazz Festival (İKSV) — Early to mid July, with free neighbourhood concerts mixed in.
• SinemADA Film Festival — Free open-air screenings on the islands. Be on a ferry before the last one around 23:00.

Rome

• Festa de' Noantri — Trastevere's own festival. A flower-decked Madonna is carried through the lanes and returns down the Tiber by boat on the final day. Outdoor tables and fireworks every night.
• Estate Romana & Lungo il Tevere — From late June to late August the riverbank fills with pop-up bars, restaurants and stalls open until 2am. Open-air cinema and opera at the Circus Maximus happen in the same weeks.

Vienna

• Donauinselfest — Europe's biggest free open-air music festival: 14 stages, no ticket. The U1 runs every 30 seconds on the way home.
• Film Festival on Rathausplatz — After dark, opera and concert films play free on a giant screen. Pick up dinner from the world-food stalls around the square and sit down.
• High summer heat and opera break — July and August reach 35°C and the State Opera and Musikverein pause their regular seasons. Outdoor festivals fill the gap; June and September are the best walking months.

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