7 Ways to Save a Rainy 4th of July Celebration

People tend to associate Independence Day with outside fun, but what happens if the weather is calling for a rainy 4th of July?

Sure, it’s disappointing. You probably had plans to grill out, play in the pool, and watch fireworks. What are you supposed to do on a rainy 4th of July?

You still celebrate! 

Don’t let a little rain keep you from enjoying our nation’s birthday. Here are 7 ways to save a rainy 4th of July (for adults and kids alike).

#1 Dress in Red, White, and Blue

While you may not get to wear your star-spangled bathing suit, you can still show your patriotism by wearing red, white, and blue.

If you are having guests, encourage them to dress in patriotic colors as well.

Take it up a notch by adding some 4th of July flair, such as funny necklaces, glasses, and headbands, to your outfits. If you are having guests over, leave some of these accessories out for them to wear, too.

#2 Play Games

A rainy 4th of July means having to rethink backyard games. If you are set on playing cornhole, see if you can make space in your garage.

If worse comes to worst, play indoor-friendly games. There are many free 4th of July themed games online, such as Patriotic BINGO and Patriotic Trivia.

Or just play the board games that have been gathering dust throughout the year.

#3 Use the Oven instead of the Grill

You might be bummed that you won’t get to enjoy a backyard BBQ, but you can still enjoy many of the same traditional foods even on a rainy 4th of July.

Planning to cook ribs? Make them in the oven or a crockpot.

Hoping to roast s’mores? Bake them in the oven.

Here are 3 recipes to try out…

Recipe for Easy Oven BBQ Baked Ribs from Butter Your Biscuit.

Ingredients

• 2 racks pork ribs about 6 lbs
• 1 jar barbecue sauce

DRY RUB

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper depending on the heat level you like

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees
2. In a small bowl mix dry rub until combined and set aside
3. Rinse pork ribs and pat dry with paper towels
4. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs, I’ve provided a how-to link above
5. Spread the dry rub all over the ribs making sure to cover both sides.
6. Wrap ribs tightly in foil meat side up, place on baking sheet
7. Bake for 3 hours for spare ribs, 2 hours for baby back ribs or until fork tender
8. Open foil and drain the liquid from the ribs. Brush your favorite barbecue sauce on the ribs, broil for 5 minutes
9. Remove and let the ribs rest 5-10 minutes before cutting. Serves 4-6

Here is a recipe for Slow Cooker Ribs from Tasty.

Ingredients

• 2 cups BBQ sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 3 lb baby back pork rib
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine bbq sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and chili powder in a small bowl.
2. Salt and pepper the ribs. Place ribs in slow cooker, and cover in sauce.
3. Cook low and slow for eight hours or high for four hours.
4. After the ribs are done, spoon the bbq sauce in the slow cooker over the ribs before removing.
5. Cut the ribs, serve with bbq sauce.

Here is a recipe for Skillet S’mores Dip from Food Network.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips 
• 1/4 cup heavy cream 
• 3 cups mini marshmallows 
• Graham crackers, broken into squares, for serving

Directions

1. Place an oven rack in the top position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. While the oven heats, put a 10-inch cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet in to heat.
2. Carefully remove the hot skillet and sprinkle the chocolate and butterscotch chips in the bottom. Drizzle the cream over the top and then top with the marshmallows in an even layer. Set the skillet on the top oven rack and bake until the marshmallows are molten and golden on top, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Serve (carefully, the pan will be very hot) with graham crackers for dipping.

#4 Celebrate with Glow Sticks and Confetti

Outdoor fireworks celebrations tend to be the highlight of most families’ Independence Day celebrations.

How can you replace this activity on a rainy 4th of July? Glow sticks and confetti poppers instantly turn a celebratory day into a party. Plus, they are safe indoors and easy to clean up.

#5 Get Crafty

If you need a way to keep people busy on a rainy 4th of July, consider doing some crafts.

There are several 4th of July crafts that are easy and inexpensive.

For example, you can turn a plain white t-shirt into a patriotic tee by simply painting red stripes and adding a blue handprint to resemble the flag.

#6 Watch a Patriotic Movie

Sometimes, all you want to do on a rainy day is watch TV. A rainy 4th of July is no different. 

Look through your streaming services and see if any of the following movies are available.

• Captain America

• Hamilton the Musical

• The American President

• National Treasure

• Air Force One

• Independence Day

• Yankee Doodle Dandy

• Forrest Gump

#7 Watch Fireworks on TV

While the fireworks in your community may be canceled on account of the weather, you can still catch an amazing fireworks display on TV.

For example, Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks is live-streamed and broadcast across America.

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