Braintree Day Returning With Biggest Fireworks Celebration Yet

BRAINTREE, MA — Braintree's Independence Day celebration will return this year.

After having to cancel in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, Braintree Day comes back on June 26 with a bang — quite literally. Sean Power, the chair of the Braintree July 4th Celebration Committee, said the committee spent more on fireworks than it ever has in the event's history.

The fireworks will start around 9:30 p.m. Other mainstay events are coming back too, including the parade, as well as live music and food trucks at Braintree High School. Music includes at the high school Aerosmith tribute band, Draw the Line, and local country group, The Jake Ash Band.

"Obviously we were disappointed we had to cancel last year, and we want to make up for that," Power said. "We think it's important to have this celebration to not only celebrate our country's independence, but also the resilience of our community with a lot of challenges with the pandemic."

Although Braintree Day is coming back, there will be some changes to make sure the celebration is safe for everyone.

On Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker announced parades, street festivals and other outdoor events can resume at half capacity, beginning May 29. Powers said the event will comply, as there's plenty of space for people to spread out at the high school field.

"The health and safety of everyone has been and will continue to be the number one priority," Powers said. "We won't have any bouncy houses or hands-on activities as we had in the past, but that's not to say things won't be just as fun. We just need to find new and create ways where folks can safely participate."

Fundraising Difficulties

The town contributes some money for Braintree Day, but the bulk of the funds come from volunteers raising the money. Powers said the committee canceled all its fundraising in 2020 amid the economic shutdown brought on by the pandemic.

"There was a lot of economic uncertainty at that time, and we didn't feel it was appropriate to solicit donations," Powers said. "We understand there's still a number of economic challenges, but if businesses and individuals are in the financial position to donate, it is greatly appreciated. We're significantly behind where we normally are in fundraising."

Anyone that wishes to donate can do so at Braintree Day's website. A familiar fundraising event will also be back — the Braintree 5K road race. The road race is scheduled for June 20. Powers said registration is now open, and those that registered last year will get their registration transferred to 2021.