Four Best Fourth of July 2012 Parties on South Beach

As America celebrates its 236th birthday, the parallels between the historic two-and-a-half-century rise of our relatively young nation and the recent popularity spike of electronic dance music are becoming increasingly clear. From our ties to England to first-generation embodiments of the American Dream, this year's Fourth of July parties not only celebrate the United States but also tell its story.

Uhntz-uhntz like Aoki for American independence.

Location Info

Map

Surfcomber Hotel

1717 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Category: Hotels/Resorts

Region: South Beach

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Wall Lounge

2201 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Category: Bars/Clubs

Region: Out of Town

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LIV

4441 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33140

Category: Bars/Clubs

Region: Mid/North Beach

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Mansion

1235 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33119

Category: Bars/Clubs

Region: Out of Town

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More About

• Fourth of July
• Tommy Trash
• Steve Aoki
• Electronic Music
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Whether you're spending the day at a hotel pool and rubbing elbows with European DJs or dropping several hundred dollars on liquor bottles adorned with festive red, white, and blue sparklers, take a minute to reflect on how the nations represented in the music you're enjoying helped shape our country's history.

These are the best Fourth of July parties on South Beach.

Eighth Annual IndepenDance Pool Party. With Roger Sanchez, Funkagenda, Norman Doray, and others. Wednesday, July 4, 11 a.m., Surfcomber Hotel, 1717 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-532-7715; surfcomber.com. Tickets cost $65 to $85 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up. On South Beach, the irony of a free America is the fact that our former colonial overlords — the English — score the Independence Day pool parties. Last year, British lad Fatboy Slim threw down a revolutionary Fourth of July mix at the Surfcomber's IndepenDance Pool Party. And this year, fellow Englishman Funkagenda will hit the decks to help celebrate the United States' 236th birthday, alongside the likes of Spaniard Wally Lopez and Frenchman Norman Doray.

Independence Day at Wall Lounge. With Robert Dietz. Wednesday, July 4, 10 p.m., Wall Lounge, 2201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-938-3131; wallmiami.com. Tickets cost $60 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up. The act of grilling hot dogs in the back yard and drinking cold beer on the Fourth is one of America's most celebrated traditions. After all, nothing screams patriotism louder than nitrates and alcoholic beverages. However, we have Germany to thank for both. Without frankfurters, we wouldn't have all-beef franks. And as for the beer, the Deutschlanders perfected it. So it's only fitting that Frankfurt's Robert Dietz will be spinning at Wall's Independence Day shindig.

Dirty Hairy Presents Tommy Trash. Wednesday, July 4, 11 p.m., LIV Nightclub, 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-674-4680; livnightclub.com. Tickets cost $40 to $60 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up. Whether or not Tommy Trash left his hometown of Sydney, Australia, to escape the iron fist of Her Majesty the Queen has never been addressed. But whatever the case, Trash is now a California dude, living and producing electronic music in Los Angeles. So LIV has tapped him to score America's birthday bash this year, welcoming the ARIA Award-nominated DJ to New Times' Best Dance Club.

Cirque de Mansion Presents Steve Aoki. Wednesday, July 4, 11 p.m., Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-695-8411; mansionmiami.com. Tickets cost $30 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up. The prospect of leaving another country, settling in the New World, starting a business, and amassing a small fortune has fueled so many American dreams, including our country's independence from the British. Another excellent example: In the mid-1960s, Steve Aoki's father, Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki, left Tokyo and landed in Long Island, New York. He worked as an ice-cream truck man, saved a ton of money, and took a gamble on a teppanyaki restaurant, opening the first Benihana in Manhattan when he was only 25 years old. The rest, of course, is history.

Rocky died in 2008, but his son Steve keeps the American Dream alive by delivering electro beats and bass drops, popping champagne, and throwing Fourth of July cakes. Appropriately, he'll be in the DJ booth at Mansion's bash.

Happy birthday, America!