Best Fourth of July 2012 Parties on South Beach

Photo by Ivon David Rojas

America celebrates its 236th birthday this year, and the parallels between our relatively young nation and the 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 don't just celebrate the United States, they tell its story.

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 listening to 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 be hitting the decks to help celebrate USA's 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 backyard and drinking cold beer on the Fourth of July 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 is spinning at Wall's Independence Day shindig.