Fresno plans downtown celebrations and historical exhibits for America's 250th birthday

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno will celebrate America's 250th birthday this weekend with what city officials are calling "the biggest 4th of July party downtown has ever seen."

"Very excited about just seeing people coming downtown and celebrating One America, One Fresno," Mayor Jerry Dyer told Action News.

The day begins at 9 a.m. in Mariposa Plaza with live music and performances.

At 4 p.m., the celebration moves to the Brewery District, where food trucks will be on hand.

Activities shift to Kern Plaza at 6 p.m., where food and giveaways will be available.

"All sorts of variety of things for people. This year, being a little special with America 250, we have a bit more programming inside the Tioga Beer Garden," Mike Oz at Fresno Street Eats said.

RELATED: America 250 events in the City of Fresno

Local museums are also marking the occasion and highlighting the region's history.

The Archive on Kern, the Veterans Memorial Museum, and the Chinatown Cultural Heritage Center will be open to the public on Saturday.

As landmarks across the country mark the holiday, several Fresno landmarks are participating as well.

Overnight, the Pacific Southwest Building, the Old Fresno Water Tower, and the newly reinstalled "G" Sign turned on special displays.

RELATED: Fourth of July in Central California: List of Independence Day events and firework shows

At Chukchansi Park, the MLB 250 logo has been painted on the field.

The Fresno Grizzlies will celebrate on Saturday with a fireworks show that is open to the public.

"We're opening up the doors in the eighth inning so people can come in free and get a close-up look at (the) fireworks," Dyer said.

With thousands expected to attend events across the city this weekend, city officials said safety measures will be in place.

"We'll have plenty of police presence. We'll have the roads blocked off near the Brewery District," Dyer said. "We want this to be a family-oriented event, as well as the fireworks show that night."

For news updates, follow Gabe Ferris on Facebook, X and Instagram.