THE HUNTINGTON BEACH 4th of July celebration will have a theme of “Surf City Soul” (Orange County Tribune photo).

It was 118 years ago that the first celebration of the Fourth of July in Huntington Beach was held and the tradition continues next month with five days of events with an expected 500,000 attendees.

The weekend’s events will begin on Friday, June 30 with the Main Street Block Party including an open-air concert featuring The Ramsey Brothers, followed by the Redneck Rodeo band.

Starting on Saturday and continuing through Tuesday (July 4), there will be over 70 vendors including craft and retail booths, food trucks, carnival rides, live music, games and more. The Carnival and Pier Festival runs all weekend from 12-10 p.m. and all ages are welcome.

The first annual Huntington Beach Cornhole Tournament of Champions will take place July 1-2 (Saturday and Sunday) with cash prizes. On Tuesday, July 4, the annual Surf City Run 5k will be held in the downtown area.

The Fourth of July Parade is on Tuesday, starting at 10 a.m. at Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway. The 2.5-mile route goes north up Main and features over 200 registered participating groups and thousands of viewers.

Finally, local residents and businesses can decorate for the Annual Home and Business Decorating Content with prizes awarded for best theme – “Surf City Soul” – decor along the Main Street parade route and businesses in the downtown area.

For more details, go to www.hb4thofjuly.org or facebook.com/HB4thofjuly .