Pacific Palisades’ 4th of July Parade will return for its 77th edition Saturday after being canceled last year because of the fire that devastated the community.
The parade is set to begin at 4 p.m. at Via de la Paz at Bowdoin Street, then head north to Sunset Boulevard, east to Carey Street, south to Toyopa Drive and conclude at Alma Real Drive.
The parade will be led by Palisades Kids on Bikes, with participants encouraged to decorate their bicycles and scooters. It will also include the Patriotic Pups.
The theme is “Our Flag Was Still There,” inspired by the many American flags that appeared throughout Pacific Palisades right after the Jan. 7, 2025 fire. The parade will honor “the resilience, hope and determination that continue to define our community as it rebuilds,” organizers said.
The parade will be preceded by the Will Rogers 5K/10K run at 8:15 a.m. and followed by an evening celebration from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Palisades Charter High School, which will include a drone show.
Numerous other Los Angeles County cities and communities will also be holding Independence Day parades, including Sunland-Tujunga, whose parade was saved from cancellation thanks to increased sponsorships and donations.
The Sunland/Tujunga/Shadow Hills Rotary Club, which conducts the parade, announced its cancellation June 1, citing the Los Angeles city government no longer being able to provide services to “First Amendment events” free of charge due to budget cuts.
On June 5, the club announced the parade would be held “thanks to widespread support from our community and beyond.”
The parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Mount Gleason Avenue. Its theme is “Celebrating Our 250 Years.”
The grand marshal will be Paul Pangburn, a three-time recipient of the Purple Heart, wounded in action three times during his five years in the U.S. Army, including a deployment to South Korea, according to biographical information supplied by the club.
Pangburn has lived in Sunland for 54 years, worked for more than two decades at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, starting as a machinist and becoming a development engineer and supervising a group of engineers assembling and troubleshooting JPL spacecraft, including the Pathfinder Mars rover.
For the second consecutive year, the club is stressing that the parade will be a “water-free event” and asking attendees not to bring “water balloons, Super Soakers, etc.”
During the 2024 parade, someone hurled a water balloon at one of the vehicles in the procession, according to the entertainment website TMZ. Actor Danny Trejo, who was among the parade’s participants, then left his vehicle to go after the perpetrator, according to the website.
According to Fox11, Trejo was hit by a second water balloon, threw punches and was knocked to the ground.
Santa Monica’s Fourth of July Parade will reverse its traditional route, beginning at Marine Street at 9:30 a.m. and traveling about nine-tenths of a mile north on Main Street to Pico Boulevard.
“Pulse in the Park” will follow from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Tongva Park, with food from Level Up Burgers and Ubatuba, a beer garden, face painting, photo booth, live DJ sets, dance performances and music from the classic rock and contemporary pop music band The Jane Fondas.
The 94th Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July Parade has the theme, “Celebrating 250 Years of America’s Freedom, its People, Places and History.” The approximately 2-mile parade will begin at 9 a.m. at the Newhall Roundabout in front of Hart Park and end at Dalbey Drive and Avenida Ignacio.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, and his opponent in the November election, former sheriff Alex Villanueva, Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce, and his Republican opponent, Santa Clarita Councilmember Jason Gibbs, are set to ride in the parade.
The Santa Clarita City Council adopted an ordinance in 1996 banning the “propulsion” of Silly String and other substances on the parade route.
La Verne’s Fourth of July Parade will have the theme “Celebrating 250 Years of Independence — La Verne’s Way.” It will begin at 10 a.m. at the corner of 10th and D streets.
The grand marshal will be La Verne’s replica of the Liberty Bell, located in front of City Hall. It was cast by the same foundry in London, Whitechapel Bell Foundry, that produced the original bell in 1752, now housed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Created as part of the nation’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976, 100 duplicate bells were made, with two allocated per state, according to a statement from the city. Bakersfield was the other California city to receive a bell.
La Verne’s bell is a full-scale, exact replica of the original, without the crack.
The 22nd Great American Kids’ Bike Parade will begin at 10 a.m. at One Granada Ave. on the beach bike path in Long Beach.
The theme of Rosemead’s parade is “One Nation. One Community. One Celebration.” It will begin at 10 a.m at Valley Boulevard and Muscatel Avenue and end at Rosemead Park.
Valley Village’s Fourth of July Parade will begin at 10 a.m. at Colfax Elementary School and end at Valley Village Park where the Valley Village Residents Association will provide corn dogs, watermelon, cold drinks and cupcakes.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger will be the grand marshal.
South Pasadena’s Fourth of July Festival of Balloons parade will begin at 11 a.m. at Mission Street and Diamond Avenue, ending in Garfield Park. The opening ceremony will be held at the South Pasadena Library at 10:30 a.m. The theme is “From Sea to Shining Sea: 250 Years of the American Spirit.”
Westchester’s 26th annual Fourth of July Parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at the corner of Manchester Avenue and Loyola Boulevard, head north on Loyola Boulevard and conclude at 80th Street, the entrance to Loyola Marymount University.
The theme is “250 Years of American Dreams,” celebrating the enduring spirit of hope, ambition, and opportunity that has shaped the nation since its founding,” according to the LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the parade.
The parade will include a sports-focused float highlighting global unity through the World Cup.
The parade is Westchester’s largest event, according to the chamber.
Avalon’s golf cart parade will begin at 1 p.m. on Casino Way. Its theme is “Red, White & 250 — Celebrating Our History, Defining Our Future,” described by promotional material as “a tribute to where we’ve been and a bold toast to where we’re going.”
The USC Trojan Marching Band will be among the participants.
Claremont’s mile-long Fourth of July Parade will begin at 1 p.m. at Memorial Park, travel south on Indian Hill Boulevard, west on Harrison Avenue and end at Larkin Guna. The grand marshal will be Gary Goltz, the founder of Claremont-based Goltz Judo and a former president of the United States Judo Association.
San Marino’s approximately 1.5-mile parade will begin at 4:45 p.m. on Monterey Road, head to Virginia Road and go through Lacy Park. It will commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial and honor the enduring values of service, community and patriotism.
Longtime community volunteer and civic leader Steve Domier will be the grand marshal.