From fireworks and parades to festivals and 5Ks, Northwest Indiana will have plenty of events to celebrate the Fourth of July.

The celebrations will start as early as Friday, with events such as the Broad Street Blues and BBQ Festival in Griffith and the AmeriCAN Beer Fest in Gary, despite the rainy weather the area has been experiencing.

“The rain wasn’t an issue with set-up, and we planned well ahead for it,” said Griffith Town Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd. “We’ve got the stage on Pine Street, so we dealt with a little bit of wet grounds, but nothing that’s insurmountable.”

The Broad Street Blues and BBQ Festival will begin at 4 p.m. Friday and continue through Sunday at Griffith Central Park, 600 N. Broad St. The festival runs until 11 p.m. Friday. On Saturday it will be open from 2 to 11 p.m., and from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. The free three-day festival will feature music, food and beer, and there will be fireworks shows Friday and Saturday.

The AmeriCAN Beer Fest presented by Berey Bros will begin at 7:10 p.m. Friday at the Gary SouthShore RailCats game at the U.S. Steel Yard, 1 Stadium Plaza, Gary. The team will be playing the Kansas City T-Bones and there will be Fifth Third Bank fireworks. There will also be fireworks after Saturday’s game.

Gary will have a Twilight Independence Day parade beginning at 6 p.m. July 3. It will start at 15th Avenue and Broadway and go north to 6th Avenue. Fireworks will follow the parade beginning at dusk, and can be viewed from the US Steel Yard.

The annual Fourth of July festival in Highland runs from 5 p.m. Wednesday through July 7 at Main Square Park, 3001 Ridge Road. A twilight parade begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, starting at the St. James the Less Catholic Church, 9640 Kennedy Ave. There will also be a kiddie parade at 12:45 p.m. July 7, starting in the parking lot across from Traditions, 2739 Highway Ave. Fireworks are scheduled for 9 p.m. July 4 at Sharp Athletic Complex, 8071 Kennedy Ave.

Cedar Lake will begin the Cedar Lake Summerfest at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The festival runs through July 7 at the Cedar Lake Town Complex, 7408 Constitution Ave. There will be live entertainment and tournaments. Fireworks will be at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and July 6.

Whiting have its Party in the Park from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday at Whiting Lakefront Park, 1500 Park Road. There will be food, drinks and live music, and a fireworks show over Lake Michigan. Whiting also will be celebrating its 100th year of the July 4 parade. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday in downtown Whiting.

East Chicago will have an Independence Day Celebration at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the city’s marina and Jeorse Park Beach, 3301 Aldis Ave. There will be food vendors, music and a fireworks show.

There will be a parade in Hobart beginning at 10 a.m. July 4 starting at Hobart Middle School, 36 E. 8th St, and a summer market starting at 4 p.m. at Festival Park, 111 E. Old Ridge Road. The market will feature 60 vendors and a live band. Fireworks will follow the event beginning at dusk.

In Griffith, the annual July 4 parade steps off at 10 a.m. starting at Ash Street and Broad Street.

There will be a 5K run/walk at 7:30 a.m. July 4 in Foundation Meadows Park, 3210 N Campbell St, in Valparaiso, as well as a 2K run at 7:45 a.m. for ages 12 and under. Entry for the 5K is $30, and the 2K is $25. The night will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Urschel field at Valparaiso Street and Vale Park Road, with live music and patriotic events, and fireworks will start at 9:15 p.m.

There will be a mini-festival with food vendors and live music from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. July 4 at Frank Gilbert Jr. Memorial Park, 2775 Willowcreek Road, Portage. Portage also will have a parade beginning at 11 a.m. on July 4, from Nativity Church, 2949 Willowcreek Road, and end at Founders Square Park. The day will end with a Fourth of July Festival at Founders Square Park, 6300 Founders Square, from 5 to 9:30 p.m., with live music and food vendors. Fireworks will begin at dusk.

There will be an Independence Day Festival in Merrillville from 6 to 11 p.m. July 3 at Hidden Lake Park, 6355 Broadway, with fireworks at 9 p.m. There also will be a parade at noon July 4 from 80th down Broadway to 67th Avenue.

Crown Point will have a parade beginning at 2 p.m. July 4 at Eisenhower Elementary School, 1450 S Main St. The parade will end at Goldsborough and Main streets. Fireworks will begin at dusk at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 889 S Court St.

Munster will have a parade beginning at 2 p.m. July 4, starting at Calumet Avenue and Ridge Road. There will also be fireworks beginning at 9:30 p.m. July 3 in Centennial Park, North Centennial Drive.

There will be live entertainment, food trucks, crafts and other activities in Schererville beginning at 5 p.m. July 4 at Rohrman Park, 6750 Rohrman Road, and fireworks will start at dusk.

Lowell will have a kids freedom fest from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 6 at the Lowell American Legion Grounds, 108 1/2 E. Commercial Ave. The event will include games, a photo booth and face painting.

Event changes because of weather can be found on Facebook pages or online.