With a million people expected to celebrate the Fourth of July in the Cradle of Liberty this year, here’s what to know about events in Boston.

Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular

The final event of Boston’s four-day Harborfest begins at 8 p.m. on the Esplanade along the Charles River and last through 11 p.m. The park will open up at noon for anyone who wants to grab a seat and camp out in front of the Hatch Shell, where performances take place.

The event in free and open to the public, no ticket required.

The spectacular will feature music from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and special guests R&B and soul singer Darlene Love, country band The Mavericks, as well as Broadway and opera performer Kelli O’Hara.

Spectators can not bring in backpacks, coolers on wheels, alcoholic beverages, glasses, cans, grills or weapons.

Clear bags, small clutches or purses, and coolers using a single handle or shoulder strap are permitted. Attendees can also have blankets or tarps under 10 square feet, smaller open-air pop-up tents or canopies, folding or beach chairs, and liquids in sealed plastic containers. A full list of allowed and prohibited items is available on the BSO website.

Officials highly recommend walking or taking public transport to the event to avoid heavy traffic before and after, but parking is available at nearby public parking garages including the Motor Mart Garage.

During the event, the Esplanade can be accessed from entrances near Beacon Street via Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth and Fairfield Streets, and Massachusetts Avenue. The closest T stops are Charles-MGH on the Red Line, and Arlington Street on the Green Line.

People can also see the fireworks display from the Cambridge side of the river. The closest T stops to the river on the Cambridge side are Kendall and Central Square stations on the Red Line.

Viewing is prohibited on the Longfellow and Massachusetts Avenue bridges.

Watchers can also catch the display at home streaming on Bloomberg TV and Boston’s channel 7, WHDH-TV.

Festivities throughout the day

Some of the biggest Fourth of July events will start bright and early Thursday.

The Fourth of July parade begins at City Hall Plaza at 9 a.m. The procession will move along a route to Granary Burial Ground, stop to lay wreaths there and move to the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence will be read at 10 a.m.

The U.S.S. Constitution will head out for its annual turnaround sail at 10 a.m. The historic ship will departing from the pier at Charlestown Navy Yard, stop for a 21-gun salute at Castle Island around 11 to 11:30 a.m., and return to the pier around 1 to 2 p.m.

At Faneuil Hall, the historic Annual Oration — which began in 1771 — will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Over at Downtown Crossing, celebrations will kick off at 11:30 a.m. with a concert from the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums. At 1:30 p.m. a free Neighborhood Ice Cream Social will take over the Franklin Steps to take in a reading of Frederick Douglass’s “What, to the slave, is the Fourth of July?”

Several historic sites in Boston will be offering tours and events throughout Independence Day, including the Freedom Trail, King’s Chapel, Old North Church and Historic Site, Old South Meeting House and more. A full list can be found on the Boston Harborfest site.

Traveling in and around the city

Traffic is expected to be heavy around and on routes into the city throughout the holiday, with more than a million visitors expected. Officials recommend moving around by walking, Bluebikes and public transit.

The City of Boston has posted a full list of many parking restrictions and street closures around the Esplanade and Downtown for the holiday on the boston.gov website.

The MBTA will be offering free service on Thursday after 9:30 p.m. on bus, subway, ferry and RIDE transportation. Information on the public transit’s modified schedule on the Fourth is available on mbta.com/holidays.

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The Commuter Rail will also be free on trains scheduled to arrive or depart from North and South Stations after 9:30 p.m. The rail is offering $10 holiday passes for unlimited travel throughout the day.

On the Commuter Rail, the last trains will leave from North and South Stations after the end of the fireworks on all lines except for the Greenbush and Needham Lines, which will leave as scheduled. Late night service on most lines will continue as scheduled after 11:30 p.m., and the last trains on the Worcester and Newburyport Lines will also be held until 11:30 p.m. More information on Commuter Rail service can be found on mbta.com/schedules.