What to Know
- Independence Day is Sunday, July 4, 2021
- Huntington Beach's long-running celebration will feature several daytime activities, including a parade
- Long Beach and Avalon will both feature quirky processions on July 4
Independence Day may be the holiday we associate most with the evening, specifically the time that arrives about a half hour after sundown, when the sky is dark enough to sufficiently admire a fireworks show.
But the fourth day of July also has a strong and celebratory daytime component, and we're not just talking about opportunities to stand around a hot grill while watching frankfurters sizzle (though, yes, that pastime is a player, too).
Outdoor events, like parades, are plentiful around Southern California during our annual patriotic party, and locating your perfect pre-dark Fourth festivity only takes a quick glance around the region.
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Huntington Beach, which has long held one of the most venerable and vivacious of our area's Fourth of July celebrations, will again host a number of strike-up-the-band happenings in 2021.
The Neighborhood Parade is a major daytime centerpiece for the ocean-close community, and, in 2021, the procession "... will be expanded... to reach even more local residents and neighborhoods."
You can see the expanded route here.
As for the theme of the 117th observance? It's "Surf City Dreamin'," so, for sure, you'll see plenty of vehicle owners taking that Pacific-fun prompt to colorful heart.
In Long Beach, another slice of summery sweetness will head out on the roll, but the focus will be on two wheels, not four. For The Great American Kids' Bike Parade will take a snapshot-cute spin around 1 Granada Avenue on the morning of July 4.
Decorated bicycles are plentiful, so if your tot would like to join the cute cavalcade, feel free to attach a few red, white, and blue streamers to her bike basket or add a balloon to the back.
And if you'll be soaking up the beams by the beach in Avalon? The Catalina Island burg boasts not one but two daytime parades, and both feature not-so-usual vehicles and vessels.
Golf carts are a quintessentially Catalina-esque sight around the charming village, and they'll have their literal moment in the sun at 1 o'clock on July 4.
The carts'll make their way through much of the town, but the cart queue-up begins on Casino Way.
And later, at 3:30 in the afternoon?
Look for a delightful parade of dinghies. Organized by the Catalina Island Yacht Club, this sail-by will, of course, happen out on the water, so keep your eyes on the Big Blue.
