Independence Celebration

The annual Independence Celebration on Fort Benning’s Main Post will start at 3pm June 24, with games, entertainment, free children’s activities, military demonstrations and more. We’ll have more of those crazy inflatable bounce houses than you can shake a stick at, and they’re free. Let the kids jump till they puke, then send them back for more. Kristian Bush will headline the celebration on the Ranger Joe’s Stage on York Field. Half of the platinum-selling country music duo Sugarland, Bush will perform solo at the event. Donovan Keith & The Funky Feat will be the opening act, and the MCoE Band will perform. The Silver Wings Parachute Exhibition Team will deliver the American flag from the sky, and the Rangers will conduct a high-speed insertion and extraction exercise from the air. Good stuff! This event culminates Saturday with the largest fireworks show in the Chattahoochee Valley choreographed to a patriotic medley performed by the MCoE Band. **And a carnival!** This year’s celebration will also include a two-day carnival! Guests can purchase tickets for individual rides, 25 tickets for $25, or wristbands for unlimited rides. A one-day wristband will cost $20 per person ($15 for active duty service members in uniform or with ID.) The two-day carnival on Gardner Field will include 20 rides for all ages. It will run from 4-10pm June 23 and 3-11:30pm June 24, the day of the traditional Independence Celebration. **To be clear!** The carnival is a two-day event, Friday and Saturday, but the traditional celebration, with free admission for concerts, kids’ activities and fireworks, is Saturday only. In the event of bad weather, only the fireworks show will be rescheduled for Sunday, June 25. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, including hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, barbecue, Mexican food, Chinese food, funnel cakes, ice cream, Hawaiian shaved ice, nachos, popcorn, lemonade, and much more. **We will give away a free car!** Once again, we’ll give away a Kia Soul, courtesy of Colubus Kia Autosport, to an active duty service member or the spouse of an active duty service member. Register to win here. Guests without military ID will access the post at the I185 gate with no problem. Everyone in the vehicle 16 or older must have a state or federal-issued photo ID. **Jump Towers will be open!** Our friends from the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment will man the 34’ Airborne training towers on Eubanks Field, behind McGinnis Wickam Hall, from 4-7pm. You must check this off your Fort Benning Bucket List, and you must take pictures to prove it! The Airborne School cadre will call the shots here; they will ultimately decide if your child is too small to jump or you’re too pregnant or drunk to jump. Just kidding. Be kind to them, please; they’re working on a weekend. **But wait, there’s more!** Our food vendors will never take your money. For their safety and convenience, they will only accept tokens. We sell tokens on site for $1 each. And get this, you get your money back on unused tokens. I recommend you purchase lots of tokens early so as not to run out, and get a full refund on those you don’t used. To make your life easy, we sell these tokens the week before this event at MWR headquarters in Building 228, 7370 Kilgore Street, from 8am-4:30pm. After the event, you can get a refund on site or return those tokens to Building 228. **What is not allowed, you ask?** Bellyaching. You cannot complain that we celebrate our independence early, because we do it for our Soldiers, who typically enjoy a four-day pass for the holiday. You cannot complain that we celebrate this holiday early unless you want us to host all of our Christmas events on Christmas Day. Also, please don’t bring your sweet dog to York Field, unless it’s a service dog. Don’t bring weapons of any kind, glass containers, professional cameras, or alcoholic beverages. We will, however, sell alcoholic beverages, so you’ll want to carry your ID. Please be prepared for random security checks, because it’s the 21st Century, and please smoke only in designated areas if you must and erect small shade canopies in the area designated for them. Tents or enclosed structures are not permitted.