Fourth of July 2024: What’s open and what’s closed in the DC area
Independence Day will bring an array of closures and modified schedules to D.C., Maryland and Virginia. To help you navigate this Fourth of July holiday and skip the guesswork, WTOP has a look and what’s open and what’s closed for the upcoming federal holiday.
Public transit
Metrorail will be open from 7 a.m. to midnight. Metrobus will operate on a Sunday schedule.
Pre-scheduled MetroAccess subscription trips will be canceled, but customers may make reservations to travel on the holiday by calling 301-562-5360.
All trips via Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess after 5 p.m. will be free, and Metro parking will be free all day, according to WMATA.
The MARC train will operate on a Saturday schedule on the Penn Line only, with no Brunswick or Camden Line service.
There will be no VRE service on July 4.
DC
Government offices, public libraries and Department of Motor Vehicles locations will be closed across the District on Independence Day.
Trash and recycling collection will slide one day for the rest of the week, so collections scheduled for July 4 will move to the following day, Friday, July 5.
Department of Parks and Recreation centers, community centers and indoor pools will be closed Thursday. All summer camps will be closed on Thursday and resume on Friday.
All Department of Parks and Recreation outdoor pools are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday.
Like other official and observed holidays, D.C. does not require parking meter fees to be paid on July 4.
Maryland
Government offices, public libraries and Department of Motor Vehicles locations are closed across the state on Thursday.
If you’re planning to celebrate Independence Day with a drink, Alcohol Beverage Services will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Montgomery County
The MC311 nonemergency government services line will be closed on Thursday.
County trash and recycling collections will operate normally on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but there will be no collections on Thursday. Instead, collections will slide one day throughout the rest of the week, with the last pickup on Saturday, July 6.
Ride On buses will operate on a Saturday schedule.
Both the Silver Spring TRiPS Commuter Store and Mobile Commuter Store will be closed.
Parking in county-owned lots, garages and on-street spaces will be free.
Outdoor pools in the county will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m.
For more information about what Montgomery Parks facilities will be open Thursday, view the complete list.
Prince George’s County
All county trash, recycling collection and curbside bulky collection scheduled for Thursday will slide one day to Friday, July 5. There will be no scheduled bulky pickups on July 4.
Museums, indoor and outdoor pools, senior activity centers and regional parks run by the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation will stay open. The community center, art centers and sports facilities will be closed.
Anne Arundel County
Trash collections scheduled for Thursday will occur on Friday, and Friday collections will occur on Saturday.
The Arundel Olympic Swim Center and North Arundel Aquatic Center are closed on Thursday.
Charles County
Curbside recycling and yard waste collection will not take place on Thursday. Additionally, the landfill, Piney Church mulch facility, and recycling centers will be closed. Household hazardous waste collection will be under normal operations.
VanGO services will not run.
Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism offices, all school-based community centers, Port Tobacco Recreation Center, Waldorf Senior and Recreational Center, and Elite Gymnastics & Recreation Center will all be closed on Thursday.
The Lackey Indoor Pool, Donald M. Wade Aquatic Center, North Point Indoor Pool and Thomas Stone Outdoor Pool will all be open from noon until 5 p.m.
Howard County
There will be no trash, recycling, food scraps or yard trim curbside collection on Thursday. Collections will slide to the following day through Saturday.
Frederick County
Thursday trash will be collected on Friday.
Additionally, the transit office will be closed and all transit services will be canceled.
Virginia
Government offices, public libraries and Department of Motor Vehicles locations are closed across the state on Thursday.
Alexandria
Trash and recycling collections will be delayed one day, with Thursday pickups happening on Friday, July 5. Curbside food waste collection will also be delayed by one day.
City offices will be closed.
The Warwick Pool, Old Town Pool and Memorial Pool will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., but other RPCA facilities will be closed.
The DASH Bus will run on a Sunday schedule.
Parking meters do not require payment, and residential parking permit districts are not time-limited on July 4. Permit parking will remain in effect.
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria will be closed, but animal emergencies or wildlife concerns may still be phoned into 703-746-4444.
Arlington County
Recycling, trash and organics curbside collection will proceed as usual. Special collections will also proceed as usual. However, both the Household Hazardous Materials/Electronics Collection Recycling Center and Earth Products Yard will be closed.
Arlington County Government offices and services will be operating on modified schedules on Thursday. For more schedule details, visit their website.
Loudoun County
The Loudoun County landfill will be closed on Thursday.
No Loudoun County Transit bus services will run. This includes the Commuter Bus Service, the Local Bus Service, the Loudoun County Courthouse Shuttle, the Paratransit Bus Service and the Silver Line Bus Service.
Fairfax County
Trash and recycling collection services will run as usual on Thursday. The administrative office, however, will be closed and reopen on Friday, July 5.
The recycling and disposal centers at the I-66 Transfer Station and the I-95 Landfill Complex will both be closed.
The Fairfax Connector will run on a Saturday service schedule.
All county recreation centers will be open from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m., except for the George Washington Recreation Center, which will open at 6:30 a.m. Meanwhile:
- Visitor centers at Lake Accotink and Burke Lake will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Lake Fairfax visitor center will open at 10 a.m.
- The Riverbend Park visitor center will be open from noon to 5 p.m.
- The farm and indoor arena at Frying Pan Farm Park will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. while the visitor center opens between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Prince William County
The county landfill will be closed on Tuesday.
Public pools in the county will be open from noon to 6 p.m. SplashDown Waterpark and Waterworks Water Park will both be open with their normal operating hours.
There will be no OmniRide bus service.