Georgetown offers a variety of Fourth of July events and celebrations to keep residents close to home during the busy DC holiday.

Start your celebrations early with an ice cream social at Tudor Place on July 3 from 1 to 3 p.m. Take a tour of a house that contains hundreds of objects owned by George and Martha Washington. Then enjoy ice cream sundaes, games and crafts in the garden. Tickets are available online.

Perhaps the biggest local celebration is the Citizens Association of Georgetown annual Fourth of July parade and concert in Rose Park.

Beginning at 4 p.m. at the basketball court residents and their friends, families and pets can decorate their parade vehicles, big wheels, bicycles, strollers and all. The parade kicks off around 4:30 p.m. circling Rose Park and ending near the stage.

The Red White and Blue Grass Concert begins at 5 p.m. with By & By’s "urban bluegrass performance."

There will also be games and contests including the annual East Village versus West Village Tug-O-War, a three-legged race and a watermelon carving contest.

Your Patch editor will be enjoying a few blissful days at the beach and will not be able to make it to these great events. If you take photos of the festivities, email them to Patch Editor Shaun Courtney shaun@patch.com, post them to our Facebook page or tweet them @GeorgetownPatch.

In the evening, the fireworks show on the National Mall will begin at 9:10 p.m. Make sure you claim your space at your favorite viewing location in Georgetown. We've got a list of the best places here.