FLAGS will be plentiful at the 121st annual 4th of July Parade on Main Street in Huntington Beach on Friday (File photo).
By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune
You can run, watch. cheer, cycle or march on Friday in the 121st annual Huntington Beach 4th of July Parade event.
Known as the biggest Independence Day parade west of the Mississippi River, the day-long celebration isn’t just the colorful patriotic procession down Surf City’s historic Main Street.
The event, with a theme of “Legacy of Bravery,” starts with the Surf City 5k run from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on a route along Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street. Street closures will begin at 5 a.m.
THERE WILL BE a bicycle parade, too (Tribune file photo).
Kiwanis Club of Huntington Beach will host its annual pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Lake Park (1035 11th St., bisected by Main Street).
The parade, featuring marching bands, local dignitaries, floats and more, begins at 10 a.m. The route starts at Pacific Coast Highway and 9th Street, proceeding north up Main Street and ending just past Yorktown Avenue, in the area of the Civic Center and Huntington Beach High School.
Those unable to view the parade in person can watch it live on KABC Channel 7 (and live-streamed) starting from Main Street at 10 a.m.
There will be live entertainment at Pier Plaza (Main and PCH) from 12-9 p.m. A fireworks “Over the Ocean” show at the Huntington Beach Pier, beginning at 9 p.m., will be viewable from the beach or downtown.
But that’s not all. A Community Bike Parade will be held on Saturday from 11:30 to noon in the area of Main Street between Utica Street and Yorktown (Civic Center), followed there by a Main Street Block Party until 7 p.m.
