4th of July Parade

There is something special about the 4th of July for Huntington Beach residents that you just can't quite put your finger on. It is hometown, the smell of BBQ's, riding bikes, beach festivities, family and friends. It is the collection of our stars and stripes, flags, and red, white, and blue bunting adorning porches and balconies all over town. Huntington Beach is an extra special place to celebrate Independence Day and Americana.

The city of Huntington Beach has a long and unique history with this patriotic holiday dating all the way back to the turn of the 20'h century. The first 4th of July parade in Huntington Beach was held on July 4'h 1904 to celebrate the arrival of the electric street car, provided by none other than Mr. Huntington's railway company. This was a happily welcomed edition to the city because it conveniently connected Huntington Beach with Los Angeles and all the cities in between. To celebrate the connection with the "Big City" the Chamber of Commerce arranged a parade for Mr. Huntington (yes the city was eventually named after him as a thank you for all that he did for Huntington Beach) and the street car's arrival. The parade has been held every year since and, what began as a modest gathering of 50,000 people at the parade's inception, has swelled to a celebration with over a million people participating in a multi-day event of BBQ's, beach activities, fireworks displays, and the largest Independence Day parade west of the Mississippi river. Memorable events over the years included the first fire chief/lifeguard performing theflaming human cannonball into the ocean from the pier, president F.D.R. and his entourage stumblingacross the parade and joining in, and the return of the fireworks spectacular off the pier for the centennial in 2004 and continuing every year since. This year’s celebration marks the 110'" parade entitled "Waves of Freedom"; so don your sunscreen, put on those red, white, and blues and enjoy Huntington Beach's largest social event of the year.