Sausalito will bring back its traditional July 4 parade on Sunday. The town square in Nicasio has an all-day barbecue with blues and zydeco music both Saturday and Sunday. And Petaluma is doing a full fireworks display Sunday night. We mention this litany of Marin County July 4 events because Golden Gate Transit just announced that bus and ferry rides will be free for the whole July 4 weekend.

“In celebration of America’s birthday and the reopening of California from Coronavirus restrictions, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District will offer free rides from Saturday, July 3rd through Monday, July 5th on its bus and ferry systems,” the transit organization says in a release.

“Whether taking in the sites of San Francisco or exploring the North Bay, let Golden Gate take you there for FREE!,” they continue. “Late night service to the North Bay will be offered for those who want to see the San Francisco fireworks display on Sunday, July 4th.”

Yeah, about those fireworks. pretty much every municipality in Marin County has canceled their Independence Day fireworks displays for 2021. This is probably the right call, due to the current drought restrictions and conditions. Petaluma is still doing their fireworks display, but they will not allow anyone to the fairgrounds where the display is held, and they’re lighting them from a higher vantage point so more people can watch from a distance. Moreover, this year Petaluma has a full ban on all fireworks, “including those previously considered legal.”

If you want to take advantage of the free rides, here’s the Golden Gate Transit bus schedule and the Golden Gate Ferry July 4 weekend schedule. Both systems are running limited holiday trips on Monday, July 5.