Fourth of July Celebration

Bristol, Rhode Island is a classic New England waterfront town whose historic town center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Founded in 1680, Bristol developed as a thriving port community, with a waterfront shaped by commercial enterprises, civic buildings, churches, and mills. Several grand mansions built by early slave traders remain, offering a visible reminder of Bristol’s complex economic and social history.

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The town was originally sold for £1,100 ($1,464 USD) to four Boston investors—Byfield, Walley, Oliver, and Burton—and remained part of Massachusetts until 1747, when the British Crown transferred it to the Rhode Island Colony.

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Bristol played a significant role during the American Revolutionary War and suffered two British naval attacks. On October 7, 1775, a British squadron led by Captain Wallace aboard HMS Rose demanded provisions from the town. When the demand was refused, the ships bombarded Bristol, causing extensive damage. The attack ended only after Lieutenant Governor William Bradford rowed out to the Rose to negotiate a ceasefire.

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A second attack occurred on May 25, 1778, when approximately 500 British troops marched through the main street, burning 30 barracks and homes and taking prisoners to Newport.

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In 1785, the town established what is now the Oldest Continuous Fourth of July Celebration in America. The official Celebration and Patriotic Exercises were founded by Reverend Henry Wight of the First Congregational Church, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. The renowned Military, Civic, and Firemen’s Parade is organized by the Bristol Fourth of July Committee.

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The Celebration begins each year with Flag Day on June 14 and continues through weeks of community events, including free outdoor concerts at Independence Park, Orange Crate Derby races, a firefighters’ muster, the Fourth of July Ball, Patriotic Exercises, and more. The festivities culminate on July 4 with the annual parade, which draws more than 200,000 spectators from Rhode Island and around the world. These enduring traditions have earned Bristol its enduring nickname