City Issues Parking Guidance for July 4 Festivities

NORWALK, Conn. — Any resident attending Norwalk’s Independence Day Concert and Fireworks on Thursday, July 3, at Calf Pasture Beach is advised to visit the city’s website as soon as possible to ensure their vehicle is on the grand list to avoid any parking issues.

While parking is free for residents whose vehicles are on the grand list, Norwalkers whose cars aren’t on the list who park in one of the event’s designated lots face a fine of $150.

Resident parking for the festivities—which will include DJ Jimmy Nuzzo, the band Soul Amazing, as well as a fireworks show—is available at Shady Beach, Taylor Farm, the nearby Marvin Elementary School (where a paper pass is required), and Calf Pasture Beach, according to Recreation and Parks’ Superintendent of Recreation Elsa Mekonen.

Nonresident parking, which costs $72 per vehicle, will be available at Calf Pasture Beach and Taylor Farm only. Nonresidents who don’t pay the fee (which must be paid via the ParkMobile app) will be fined $150.

“We highly, highly recommend residents check that their vehicle is on the grand list,” said Mekonen.

To verify your vehicle is on the city’s grand list, visit hub.norwalkct.gov/passes/.

“If your car is not on the grand list, you can send us a copy of your registration to residentpass@norwalkct.gov,” said Mekonen. “And then our staff will try and get that in the system as soon as possible.”

Any resident who parks at Marvin Elementary School will need to have a paper pass displayed on their dashboard.

“If you check the grand list on the city website, it’ll give you an option to print one out,” said Mekonen of the paper pass. “Alternatively, you can email us [residentpass@norwalkct.gov] and we will email you a copy, or you can come visit us at City Hall.”

Anyone planning on stopping by City Hall to obtain a parking pass for Marvin Elementary School needs to do so before 2 p.m. on July 3, since City Hall will be closing early that day.

Mekonen also stressed that Norwalk police will be monitoring the parking area at Marvin and will ticket cars that don’t display a pass. 

Rec and Parks staff members will also be on hand at the various parking areas, “flagging down cars” and helping people park, she said.

The Independence Day celebration is expecting “a large turnout” of residents and nonresidents of all ages, according to Mekonen.

DJ Jimmy “Jams” Nuzzo will kick things off when he begins his set at 5 p.m.  “We have the band starting about 7:15/7:30, and that’s about a 90-minute show, and then the fireworks typically start a few minutes before 9; they last about 45 to 50 minutes, maybe a little less. And then DJ Jimmy will continue to play on the beach afterward to encourage people to wait out the traffic.”

Nuzzo said he looks forward to being “back in action” at the beach for the Independence Day celebration. 

“A few years ago, I had a heart and liver transplant, so I am back in action and really looking forward to playing at the beach again,” he said. “I love what I do; I love the people, and I am hoping to create enough energy to have everyone involved in the music.”

Though the festivities don’t begin until 5 p.m., Mekonen said people typically show up much earlier in order to get the good times rolling.

“We have some people who set up as early as 9 a.m.—their friends and family are there, everyone is having a good time,” she said. “Traffic doesn’t usually start until later in the day.”

Mekonen stressed that no dogs, glass bottles, tents or hammocks are allowed at Calf Pasture and Shady beaches.

Residents who show up hungry will have several options to choose from.

“We have Ripka’s Beach Café on the Calf Pasture side, and Ripka’s also has one or two food trucks on the Shady side,” Mekonen explained. “We are currently working on a site map so people can see where things will be, including Norwalk EMS, the police department, the concert stage, all of those things just as a reference.”

That map will be published on the Rec and Parks website as well as the city’s social media accounts.  

The July 3 event kicks off what’s expected to be “a very busy weekend” at city beaches, according to Mekonen, who gave “props to our incredible weekend staff/beach staff—these folks work all weekend just to make sure everyone is safe.”

The rain date for the July 3 festivities is Saturday, July 5. 

For more information, contact Rec and Parks at 203-854-7806 or recreation@norwalkct.gov.