CITGO Freedom Over Texas Features A Bevy Of Restaurants—Updated

The stars at night may be big and bright, they’ll have some serious competition on July 4 as the 30th annual Freedom Over Texas celebration (sponsored by CITGO) kicks off with food, entertainment and, of course, a Texas-sized fireworks display. The event will take place from 4 to 10 p.m. throughout Eleanor Tinsley Park and Sam Houston Park along Buffalo Bayou near downtown. More than 40,000 revelers are expected to attend. Admission is $8 in advance (online here) or $10 the day of the event; children aged five and under are free of charge.

UPDATED: This giveaway has ended. The winners have been drawn and notified via email. Win one of two prize packages by entering our drawing! Each includes two general admission passes to CITGO Freedom Over Texas and two $10 gift certificates to Cool Runnings, one of Houston’s best Jamaican restaurants (total package value: $36). All you have to do is subscribe to our forthcoming free weekly newsletter by entering your email address at the top of this page. That’s it! Winners will be drawn from all new subscribers and notified by 7 p.m. on July 2.

Stage performances are included in the price, but food and beverage must be purchased separately. (Food purchases are cash-only, but credit cards can be used for beverages.) Special for this year: more than 30 food vendors will be on-hand, including Houston-born favorites like The Burger Joint, Pho-jita Fusion, Maine-Ly Sandwiches and Muiishi Makirritos. Food Network fans may want to get in line at Cool Runnings, a Jamaican restaurant that was featured on the channel for flavorful dishes like jerk chicken and coconut curry shrimp. When the heat gets unbearable, cool off with KIC Pops, Kona Ice, Bahama Bucks and Steel City Pops.

Attendees can visit four stages where live entertainment concludes with a fireworks show beginning promptly at 9:35 p.m. Photo courtesy of Freedom Over Texas

Between bites, visitors can bounce between four stages, including a kid-oriented party zone, where live music headliners include country music star Hunter Hayes, Mango Punch!, and Lil Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers. Check out the Bud Light Amphitheater for friendly games of corn hole, giant Jenga, giant Connect 4 and giant horseshoes. Maybe this is the year to skip the backyard parties because there’s something special about celebrating our nation’s birthday with 40,000 of your closest friends, right?

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