Patriotism abounds when Huntington Beach rolls out its 122nd annual Fourth of July Parade on Main Street
- Share via
Enthusiastic crowds greeted the 122nd annual Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade Saturday morning, which began its 2.5-mile route on Pacific Coast Highway and continued up Main Street in a patriotic display befitting the nation’s 250th birthday.
Longtime radio personality and Huntington Beach booster Tim Conway Jr. led the way as the parade’s grand marshal. Other notables invited to the party were Surf City supporter Victoria Alberty, who was named the event’s community grand marshal, legendary surfer PT Townend and Olympic Gold Medalist Amanda Freed Katchka.
Parade-goers lining the route cheered veterans, marching bands, cheerleaders, scouting troops, members of area city councils, the ever-popular parade appearance of Shriners astride their custom “trikes” and more. Candy was tossed from passing parade vehicles to enthusiastic response from kids on the sidelines.
Since its inception on Independence Day in 1904, when an estimated 50,000 people turned out to celebrate the opening of the first electric passenger train linking the area with Long Beach and Los Angeles, the annual extravaganza has grown so popular that the city now regularly sees more than a half-million attendees, according to organizers.
While the parade may well be considered the main Fourth of July attraction in Huntington Beach, the city hosts three days of activities surrounding the holiday, including the Pier Plaza Festival and Carnival with live entertainment on July 3 and July 5, which bookend the Fourth of July events that include the Surf City 5K, the parade, the Main Street Block Party and the much-loved fireworks show over the ocean at night.
— Daily Pilot Staff
