Allendale's Fourth of July fireworks are now scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 5 p.m. over Crestwood Lake. This is the third date the show has had this year. Weather stopped the July show, and weather stopped the September makeup date. The group behind it says it is "regrouping, reloading, and preparing to light up the sky in celebration of America's 250th birthday."
That group is the Holiday Observers. Its history explains why a July show could be moved twice and still happen. It also explains why the last two weeks of October have turned into one of the busiest civic stretches on Allendale's 2026 calendar.
How a July Show Ended Up on an October Thursday
Between July and October the show had three dates, set out in a series of notices. Here they are in order:
- July 4. The Borough's July 2026 newsletter says the Independence Day festivities went ahead, but "Mother nature had other plans" and the fireworks were postponed.
- July 7. A notice on the Borough's community events page moved the show to Saturday, September 26. Ticket holders were told to bring their original tickets and to contact their Holiday Observer representative for replacements or extra tickets.
- September 24. Two days before the new date, the Borough announced that the September 26 show was canceled, along with its Sunday rain date, and said it was looking at alternate dates. The Holiday Observers' own event page gives inclement weather as the reason.
- October 22. The current listing puts the show at 5 p.m. on a Thursday at Crestwood Lake.
The September plan had tied the fireworks to Allendale Day. In her September newsletter, Mayor Amy Wilczynski wrote that "as the sun goes down, the Holiday Observers Fireworks Show will commence over Crestwood Lake" after the Chamber of Commerce's afternoon downtown. Those two events have since split. The Allendale Chamber of Commerce moved Allendale Day to Saturday, October 3, noon to 4 p.m., and it ran on its own. The fireworks now stand alone on a weeknight.
Why a Neighbors' Group Can Keep Moving the Show
According to the Borough's list of clubs and organizations, the Holiday Observers started in 1919, when neighbors pooled their fireworks for a Fourth of July celebration. The group still describes its mission as supporting the observance of national and local holidays.
That origin still shapes how the show runs. The group's fireworks rules say the display is presented by Holiday Observers Inc. and not by the Borough. Admission is for Allendale residents and their guests, and tickets must be shown at the gate. Funding works the same way. The Holiday Observers' fundraising page says its events are paid for by contributions from residents, friends and businesses, and the money goes back into community activities. It identifies the organization as a 501(c)(3). For 2026, fireworks tickets were sold on a "pay what you can" basis with $10 per ticket suggested, and only to Allendale residents.
Taken together, this explains October 22. The show belongs to a group whose events are funded by contributions, so it was never tied to a holiday on the municipal schedule. When the weather canceled it twice, the group set a third date. The rescheduled listing explains the choice in the organization's own voice:
"Like our Founding Fathers, the Holiday Observers don't give up easily. After two cancellations, we're regrouping, reloading, and preparing to light up the sky in celebration of America's 250th birthday!"
The same page connects the show to local history: "250 years ago, Bergen County residents could see and hear cannon fire echoing from the cliffs of the Palisades." This year's show is tied to the 250th anniversary, and the group chose to reschedule it within 2026 instead of holding it for next July.
Crestwood After the Swim Season
The show's location matters because of what Crestwood is. The Borough describes Crestwood Park as a municipal facility on West Crescent Avenue with a lake, three beaches, sports fields and a barn pavilion called the Red Barn. The lake itself is private, and swimming requires a membership. The Borough's history of Crestwood Lake says private owners first developed it as a swim attraction after their plan for a residential lake stalled, and the Borough bought all 70 acres in fall 1971. The current facility page lists the park at 71 acres.
In summer the lake ran on a schedule. The early season started May 23 with weekend and holiday hours, and daily operation began June 25, both 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This fall, Crestwood has already been the town's America 250 stage once. The Borough's America 250 page says a parade on September 19 kicked off the Holiday Observers' celebration at Crestwood. The fireworks on October 22 will close out that celebration at the same park.
The park also hosts an event the week before. The Red Barn, which the Borough normally rents to residents for events and reunions of up to 150 guests, is the venue for Lee Memorial Library Family Day on Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Chamber lists admission at $12 per person through October 10 and $15 after that, and children age one and under get in free. That puts two community events at Crestwood within five days, both well after the swim season ended.
The Week the Holiday Observers Run the Calendar
The fireworks are also not the Holiday Observers' only event this month. Two days later, on Saturday, October 24, the group runs its Halloween Costume Parade from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Brookside School Auditorium at 100 Brookside Avenue. Like the fireworks, it is open to Allendale residents. Because of the rescheduling, the group whose name comes from holidays will run a Fourth of July show and a Halloween event in the same week.
Here is how the rest of the second half of October lines up around those two nights:
| Date | Event | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Cars & Coffee | 9–11 a.m. | Borough Hall, 500 West Crescent Avenue |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Lee Memorial Library Family Day | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Red Barn at Crestwood |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Green Team collection: Styrofoam, batteries, grocery bags, canned goods | 10 a.m.–noon | Borough Hall parking lot |
| Thu., Oct. 22 | Holiday Observers Fireworks Spectacular | 5 p.m. | Crestwood Lake |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Holiday Observers Halloween Costume Parade | 5–7 p.m. | Brookside School Auditorium |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | NJ Audubon Halloween Bird Walk | Registration required | Celery Farm, Green Way Entrance |
Saturday, October 17 is the busiest day. Borough Hall and Crestwood are both on West Crescent Avenue, and three of the morning's events overlap there. The month ends at the Celery Farm off Franklin Turnpike, where NJ Audubon lists a free Halloween Bird Walk on October 31 that requires registration.
Just over the border, Secor Farms at 85 Airmont Avenue in Mahwah runs fall hayrides through the end of October. Weekday rides run from 3 to 4:30 p.m., and weekend fall activities run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weekend visits require tickets bought online in advance. After that the Holiday Observers' schedule moves on to December, with a Holiday Gift Distribution set for December 12 at 1 p.m. at Town Square, 114 West Allendale Avenue.
Before Thursday at Crestwood Lake
The show is run by and for residents, so a few details are different from a typical public fireworks display. The October listing asks everyone attending to bring ID that shows Allendale residency. Tickets come through the Holiday Observers members themselves; the page says to "contact a Holiday Observer for tickets." When the show moved to September, the Borough told ticket holders to bring their original July tickets and to go to their Holiday Observer representative for replacements. If you are still holding a July ticket, the quickest way to confirm it is good for October 22 is to ask the same person you bought it from.
The listing gives a 5 p.m. start on a weeknight. Check the Holiday Observers' event page and the Borough's news page before you leave. Both posted the notices when the earlier dates changed.
At Daniel Chamoun, we follow what happens in Allendale from week to week, including events like a July show that moved to October. If you have questions about your home in Allendale or about what the town's calendar means for listing timing this fall, schedule a free consultation and we can talk it through.
