Crowds piled into the park well before 5 p.m. with chairs and blankets hoping to snap the best spots.
"We just set up, so hopefully we got a good spot," said Dawn Shuey, who was there around 5 p.m. with her family.
The wait for the big fireworks show was just as big a party.
Food vendors lined the park to serve up refreshing snow cones and ices and savory snacks, such as cheesy nachos and turkey legs.
"The corn was great I had corn, she had a hot dog and fries," said Amanda Cooley, who was at the event with her husband and two small nieces, Zariah and Nariyah.
There was also a kid zone full of inflatables, and music by the Bull City Syndicate and the NC Symphony.
The 'Works! And other Fourth of July events around the Triangle and central North Carolina