San Diegans, and thousands of visitors from out of town, enjoyed their day off this past Tuesday, July 4, to celebrate the United States’ independence.

From as early as 4 a.m. many flocked to our many local beaches in order to secure a spot on the sand before anyone else.

“I woke up at like 4:30 in the morning and we all drove out a little past 5 a.m. so we could set up a grill and volleyball net,” said Ivan Dominguez, a Chula Vista resident who spent the day with his girlfriend’s family at Silver Strand State Beach. “By the time it was like 10 a.m. the beach was packed.”

The San Diego County Fair was another popular destination for many on Independence Day.

On the Fourth of July, the Fair’s closing day, thousands packed into the Del Mar Fairgrounds for a day full of fun, thrills, and food.

A large turnout throttled access to the fairgrounds through Via de La Valle.

“We were in line for almost an hour to enter the parking lot,” said an individual who identified himself as Jay. “We were in line for another 15 minutes for tickets and like another 5 minutes to go through security.”

Inside, many took in the All-American act of enjoying county fair food creations.

“I had some bacon wrapped portobello mushrooms on a stick and a pineapple stuffed with fried shrimp,” said Michael Romero, a National CIty resident. “My brother got a chicken ice cream donut too.”

Attendees such as Jay and Miguel were two of the over 1 million people who brought the San Diego County Fair’s attendance to its second highest number on record: 1,565,933 visitors in 2017.

At night many flocked to see one of the many fireworks displays throughout the region.

The Big Bay Boom fireworks show, held along the San Diego Bay’s waterfront, was attended by over 100,000 spectators.

San Diego Police emitted a traffic advisory for the show and MTS officials recommended using the trolley in order to alleviate traffic in the area.