ALTON, Ill. – Thousands of people have gathered in Alton, Illinois, for an early Fourth of July celebration hosted by the Alton Police Department.
The event, which kicked off at 5 p.m., features a lineup of entertainment including DJ Chrisxmas and the Lincoln Brass Band, along with eight food trucks and beer tents.
Attendees have set up lawn chairs and blankets across the grass, with some tailgating from their trucks, enjoying the sunshine and festivities.
“There is not a better place to see live music in my view anywhere in the Midwest. With the Clark Bridge behind us. The mighty Mississippi—you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a more scenic location to enjoy an evening out,” said Dan Herkert, Alton Amphitheater Commission Chair.
The main attraction of the evening is the fireworks show, which has been a major talking point among the crowd.
“Really, only the fireworks, because they’re actually pretty cool. We come every year and the snow cones were pretty good,” said Emilee Rogers, an attendee.
Officials are emphasizing safety, noting that firework-related injuries increased by more than 50% last year, with 14,700 reported incidents in 2024.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.
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