4th of July - Fireworks? and More?

[Jynxed]

Hi all! I have my trip booked to Anaheim the first week of July for a convention, while there I plan on spending 4 days in DLR. I am a DLR noob, but a WDW pro so while I know a lot of basics, somethings I am a little lost on. I will be spending the days there with my son who is 18 months.
Hoping you can all help me while I pick your brain for the next few months.

So my first question to you all is how crowded is the 4th of July there? I am sure because it is a holiday it is crowded, but does it ever get to the point where they shut the gates down? Will I be able to hop from one park to the next without fear of not getting back in for the fireworks? Could I take an afternoon nap without worry?

Also, is there a special fireworks show that day or is it no more "special" then regular nights? And in years past, what time do the fireworks go off that night?

[houseofmouse]

I know for sure there are special 4th of July Fireworks and last year they were on the 5th too because we could see and hear most of the show from our room at the Howard Johnsons.

I know it is one of the most crowded days there but I am sure someone with more knowledge of being there that day can give you specifics.

[cstephens]

So my first question to you all is how crowded is the 4th of July there? I am sure because it is a holiday it is crowded, but does it ever get to the point where they shut the gates down? Will I be able to hop from one park to the next without fear of not getting back in for the fireworks? Could I take an afternoon nap without worry?

The crowd patterns the last two years on that day have been really weird. Previously, the park was PACKED, and yeah, if you left at all, you ran the risk of not getting back in. The last two years, even when the Fourth was on a SATURDAY, the parks were very, very light. It didn't get super crowded until about 8pm, as everyone was coming for the fireworks. Your best bet would be to see how the crowds are during the day before deciding if it's safe to leave and be able to come back. And you should plan to be back in the park by probably 6pm.

Also, is there a special fireworks show that day or is it no more "special" then regular nights? And in years past, what time do the fireworks go off that night?

They've had a special fireworks show for a couple years now, and it's really amazing. Because the show was cancelled part-way through a few years ago because of high winds, they actually run the show for 3 or 4 days now, usually before and after the Fourth. Since the Fourth is on a Monday this year, they may only run it before the Fourth. And the fireworks show on the Fourth itself is a slight bit longer than the show during the other nights. Really spectacular to see.

Fireworks usually go off at about 9:25pm.

[oregontraveler]

My bet is they will run fireworks from Thursday to Monday. That's what they did last year, in order to spread out the crowds. You also run the risk of fireworks being canceled due to high winds.

I was there last year from July 1-3. I didn't notice any big crowd spikes
due to the holidays. So it seems you would be OK with a afternoon break and be able to get back in. Not sure about the 4th though.