The City of Daytona Beach is holding an early celebration for Independence Day this year, offering local residents a chance to celebrate and show their patriotism before the Fourth of July. The Freedom Festival will be taking place this Saturday, at one of the city's most popular event locations.
The Freedom Festival is set to kick off at 10:00 am this Saturday, June 29th, at continue on until 3:00 pm. It's being held at the Riverfront Esplanade on Manatee Island, located at 355 N. Beach St. Attendance to the festival is free of admission cost.
Festivities included at the Freedom Festival include a cornhole tournament, face painting, a water slide, live music, food trucks, and beverage vendors, according to the event website. The city is offering a free meal to veterans in attendance as a show of gratitude, only asking that they bring an ID as proof as service.
Live entertainment will be provided by the Coastal Florida Police and Fire Pipe & Drums, plus the band CHEG according to a city release about the event.
The cornhole tournament at the festival is scheduled to start at 12:00 pm, with an entry fee of $20 per person. Those wishing to compete can register online or on-site starting at 11:00 am. The winning team is slated to be awarded half of the proceeds from entry fees, with the other half going toward a veterans' charity of the winners' choice.
Saturday's Freedom Festival will be taking place of the Fourth of July Parade on Main Street, an event locals may have become accustomed to attending. Sponsors of the event include City Commissioner Stacy Cantu, the Riverfront Esplanade, Humana, Main Street Merchants, Cornhole Chemistry, S.R. Perrott and the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 316 and other veteran chapters.
Daytona's Saturday forecast calls for a high of 89 degrees as of Wednesday, so attendees will likely want to make sure they're staying hydrated and finding shade to stay safe and healthy during a scorching hot Freedom Festival.
