THE ANNUAL 4th of July parade rolls down Main Street (Tribune photo).

An estimated half-million people are expected to attend Huntington Beach’s 120th Fourth of July event, considered “the largest Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi.”

The highlight of the event is the parade on Thursday along the city’s Main Street starting at 10 a.m. The route of the procession commences at 9th Street and Pacific Coast Highway and proceeds south to Main, turning north to Clay Avenue. Main Street will be closed between Garfield Avenue and Clay.

The parade will feature classic cars, bands, floats, local elected officials and more.

There are four “grand marshals”: Kyle Schuesler (musical), Jeff Deffenbaugh (surfing), Fiji Garcia (teen) and Robyn Wood (community).

There are other traditional events planned for the holiday.

• The Surf City Run will be held from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday.
• Two home-decorating contests with a theme of “Through the Decades,” one city-wide (one winner from each zip code) and another along the parade route on Main Street.
• A fireworks show will commence at 9 p.m.  at the city pier. All beach viewing is open to the public, with limited paid tickets for reserved seating on the pier. Early entry tickets are $42 and general admission at $32.