Plan the Perfect Fourth of July

Crack open a new box of sparklers because the nation celebrates its 235th birthday on Monday, July 4. As Philadelphia is the birthplace of the United States, the city tends to have quite a few celebrations to attend each year. And this year is no different. The federal holiday is on Monday, July 4, and as such, some celebrations in outlying suburbs have been moved to Sunday, July 3.

In downtown Philadelphia, residents can attend several different Fourth of July festivities including two different celebrations at Penn's Landing. There will be a concert with the U.S. Army band and fireworks to follow July 2 and on July 3 there will be "Fam Jams," which is a free concert open to families featuring Emily Osment and Tim Urban.

The major Fourth of July celebration will take place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 5 to 11 p.m. Philadelphia's favorite hometown band, The Roots, will be playing prior to the Grand Finale Fireworks. (Here's the official schedule of events for the Wawa Welcome America 2011 festival, running all this week and through the 4th.)

To help plan where you can celebrate your Fourth of July festivities, here's a breakdown of events in the surrounding area:

Monday, July 4

• South Ardmore Independence Day Celebration. Bike, stroller and wagon parade leaves from at 10 a.m and the event lasts until 1 p.m.
• Narberth Playground Fireworks. The Zing Kings begin playing at 7:30 p.m. and will precede what may be the Main Line's best fireworks, expected to start around 9:30 p.m.

Check out events in other local areas: