July 4 “Freedom Fest” at JBLM for DOD ID cardholders and guests only: Not open to the general public

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – This year, the July 4^th “Freedom Fest” at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is for DOD ID cardholders and their guests only, and is not open to the general public.

• DOD ID cardholders include: Active duty, National Guard and Reserve service members, military family members, military retirees, and DOD civilian employees.
• Non-DOD guests must be accompanied by a DOD sponsor (see above) in order to access JBLM to attend Freedom Fest.

JBLM officials opted to conduct a smaller, low-key July 4^th event this year, so they could free up personnel resources to support the JBLM 2016 Airshow and Warrior Expo on Aug. 27-28.

“We understand not having Freedom Fest open to the general public may inconvenience some families who make Freedom Fest part of their July 4^th tradition, and we hope those families can find another community celebration to attend,” said Joseph Piek, JBLM Public Affairs Officer. “We encourage everyone to look ahead to August and make plans to join us for the JBLM Airshow and Warrior Expo which is open to the general public.”

Freedom Fest runs from noon – 11 p.m. at Cowan and Memorial Stadiums on JBLM Lewis-Main. The fireworks display is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m.

Installation access instructions:

DOD ID cardholders with installation access privileges may enter JBLM at any gate. Parking is first-come, first-served, and carpooling is encouraged. Passengers age 16 and older must bring a state or federal government issued photo ID to be admitted onto the installation.

All visitors to the installation are subject to search, as are vehicles, purses, backpacks, and other hand-carried items entering the base. Weapons, glass bottles, fireworks of all kinds, and pets will not be permitted on the festival grounds (medical alert and medical assistance animals are permitted). Marijuana is illegal on JBLM.