Overall, parking at the July 4th Tempe Town Lake Festival will be limited. The Mill Avenue bridges will be closed to vehicles and pedestrian traffic.

Click here for Tempe parking map

Because of high attendance, plan to arrive early and leave late for the best parking. Event patrons are encouraged to consider these parking suggestions:

ADA parking is available at the US Airways Garage.

For street closures, visit www.Tempe.gov/streetclosures.

Utilize the parking lots on the outer areas of the event, via Priest Drive and Rural Road to minimize delays and traffic congestion.

Patrons traveling from the west should park at the lot located at Rio Salado Parkway and Hardy Drive.

Patrons traveling from the east should park at the ASU lots near Rural Road and Rio Salado Parkway.

There are several thousand parking spaces in the Mill Avenue District. However, extra time may be needed due to the popularity of the area and the event traffic plans. Visit www.tempe.gov/parking.

Avoid parking on the north bank. The Mill Ave. bridges will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Patrons who park on the north bank of the lake will NOT be able to walk across the Mill Ave. bridges to attend the event.

Check the traffic and parking situations prior to attending. Periodic updates will be provided on the Event Hotline 480/350-5189 and the Web site: www.Tempe4th.com.

Expect some delays after the event. Your patience is appreciated.

You should avoid parking in the downtown area as spaces are limited.

Free Bus Service

If you don’t want to worry about finding parking at the event, take advantage of the Tempe bus system on July 4 for free!

Most Tempe bus routes will operate every 15 minutes to the Mill Avenue District until 8 p.m. with return service until midnight.

Many downtown Tempe bus and Orbit routes will drop off and pick up at the Tempe Transportation Center on the northeast corner of Fifth Street and Forest Avenue.

Due to street restrictions, several downtown Tempe routes will be detoured to connect with light rail and will not serve their normal stops.

If you choose to take the bus and transfer to light rail, you will be required to pay a fare. Parking is available at the following park-and-ride locations:

Tempe Marketplace: Orbit Earth to downtown and Route 81 (McClintock) to Apache and McClintock light rail station.

Tempe Sports Complex: Route 62 (Hardy) to downtown.

Tempe Library Complex: Orbit Jupiter to downtown.

Arizona Mills Mall: Route 56 (Priest) to Priest and Washington light rail station and Route 92 (Guadalupe/48th Street) to downtown.

For bus detours, route and schedule information or to find a Tempe bus stop near you, call 480-858-2350 or visit www.valleymetro.org.

Metro Light Rail Service

Park at one of the designated METRO light rail park-and-ride locations and ride the train for $1.75 per trip, per person.

You may want to purchase an all-day pass for $3.50 at the start of your trip to avoid having to use busy fare vending machines in the downtown area at the end of the event. (Reduced all day passes are available for $1.75 for youth, people age 65 and older and people with disabilities.)

METRO light rail will run every 15 minutes between 6 a.m. and midnight.

Park-and-ride locations include:

Apache Blvd. and Price Road.

Apache Blvd. and McClintock Drive.

Apache Blvd. and Dorsey Lane.

For route and schedule information, visit www.MetroLightRail.org or call 602-253-5000.

Tempe provides free youth transit passes for all Tempe residents age 6 to 18. For more information on how to obtain a free transit pass, visit www.tempe.gov/tim or call 480-858-2350.