This year's Fourth of July was another sort of Independence Day for Taylor Swift's coterie of pals.
As far as anyone's been able to tell, the singer opted for a far more low-key holiday than usual this year and did not throw the picture-perfect, wish-we-were-there party we've grown accustomed to her throwing at her oceanfront estate in Rhode Island. It's possible that Taylor was there, as her parents, Andrea and Scott, were photographed in town near the house, but she did not advertise if she was.
The lack of festivities didn't come as a huge shock for multiple reasons: First of all, Swift has been operating decidedly under the radar for months now, barely being seen let alone sharing her world on Instagram for all to savor. Hosting a big bash would have signaled a return to the spotlight of sorts, and she doesn't seem to be ready for that yet.
Moreover, such a move wouldn't fit in with her revamped approach to romance.
Swift has been quietly dating British actor Joe Alwyn, jetting back and forth from London to see him, and let's just say that Taylor's attempt at adding a new boyfriend to the 4th of July mix kinda backfired last year. (More for him than for her, but still.)
So without one massive home to gather at, that meant Swift's squad was on its own—and it appears that, without the red, white and blue slide holding them together, they scattered to the four winds for the 4th.
End of an era or just life and supermodel schedules getting in the way this summer? Here's where the pals who've patriotically partied with Swift in recent years spent the holiday in 2017:
Abigail Anderson, Swift's childhood best friend who's been pretty busy lately planning her wedding, celebrated at Frisky Frog's in Nashville with fiancé Matt Lucier, where the festivities appeared to include selfie-snapping and Moscow mules.
Then a legion of the squad was lost to France, where Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week is underway: Karlie Kloss, Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Cara Delevingne (both she and Karlie made the scene at Chez Taylor in 2016) are all there.
Fellow 2016 reveler Gigi Hadid got fans all hot and bothered with a shirtless pic of Zayn Malik holding a puppy that she posted to her Instagram story over the weekend, and then she appeared to be on the go via private jet. "traveling light n bright," she wrote, highlighting her hot-pink Max Mara bag.
Ryan Reynolds, who was one tank top shy of stealing the entire show with the expression on his face in that infamous couples' pic last year, is off shooting Deadpool 2 in Vancouver, so it's unclear if he was even free to celebrate with his wife and kids. ("I had no idea somebody was taking a photo. Therefore I was resting comfortably in my persona of a man whose soul is visibly exiting this earth," Reynolds handily explained last year's his resting bemused face to EW.)
Blake Lively, meanwhile, may have gotten her inflatable slide fix at a family-friendly carnival, where she snapped a July 4 pic in front of a pretty impressive-looking bouncy house.
Martha Hunt also went the carnival route, sharing a video of fireworks going off above a lit-up Ferris wheel.
Uzo Aduba, who enjoyed the Swift scene last year, is off in paradise somewhere on a beach vacation—looking at the unidentified scenery, Instagram commenters have speculated Mallorca and Brazil (though it could also be Hawaii...).
Este, Alana and Danielle Haim have been busy counting down to their July 9 show in London, and tonight in New York they're hosting a screening for fans of Valentine, a short film shot late last year while they were working on their new album by none other than Paul Thomas Anderson. "Fight Song" singer Rachel Platten, also a guest last summer, spent this holiday weekend with a different set of gal pals.
No word yet on how Ruby Rose spent the 4th, but she's been happily keeping company with The Veronicas' Jessica Origliasso and recently credited her busy schedule for not being up on the latest gossip.
"I don't have a lot of downtime and I think that's when people have difficulties because they sort of feel like their private life is changed. Me, I'm always on a set," the model-actress, who's in Pitch Perfect 3, told Australia's Daily Telegraph last month. "We're living in a bit of a bubble.'"
We do know that Rose visited Los Angeles' newest celebrity hot spot, the Museum of Ice Cream, a few weeks ago.
As for some of the guests from years past...
Jaime King, whose son counts Taylor as his godmother, watched fireworks with her family. Lena Dunham wished her fans a happy Fourth from New York, showing off her patriotic manicure and being sure to crack wise about her see-through top and skirt, a "touch of inappropriate under to outer garment ratio."
And Emma Stone, who attended Swift's inaugural Fourth of July bash in 2014 but has since drifted out of the fold, was most recently photographed last Friday in La La Land after a pilates class.
Meanwhile, Tom Hiddleston is British, so perhaps he forgot all about the Fourth of July this year.
As for Taylor herself, she recently emerged from her self-imposed solitude to congratulate NBA star Russell Westbrook on being named MVP this year, and new music is in the works.
"She has been entirely focused on that and not much else," a source recently told E! News. Much less party planning.