Where: Arlington, TX, through the city’s downtown and the University of Texas at Arlington’s college park district.
What makes it special: It’s history! Started in 1965, this fun parade is the oldest event in Arlington. What began as children riding decorated bicycles through Randol Mill Park has morphed into a two-mile spectacle featuring 120 entries this year. Run by a nonprofit with the sole purpose of organizing the event, the parade exists to promote an Independence Day celebration in a family-focused environment.
“The beautiful thing about this parade is how varied it is,” said Kevin Donovan, a volunteer since 1997 who is serving as president of the organization. “We’ll have everything from professionally built floats to Boy Scouts to unicycles to classic cars to you name it. And they all come together to celebrate the Fourth.”
What: Arlington Independence Day Parade. This year’s theme is “Let Freedom Sing” and music is expected to fill the Texas air. All six Arlington high school bands, their cheerleaders, and their drill teams set the mood with patriotic music on a morning full of American patriotism. Serving as parade grand marshals will be music aficionado Alan Petschi and his wife, Bonnie. Sports fans can also cheer on the champion Arlington Renegades football team, although Coach Bob Stoops is expected to be a long shot to show up.
The parade will be preceded by its inaugural Firecracker 5K at 7 a.m. for those who want to get hot before the weather bakes them. Registration for the run will close on July 2.
“What keeps me motivated is the diversity of interests,” Donovan said. “To me, this is one of those things where people come together, and they’re all happy about it. It’s a great feeling to produce something that gets that feeling in the community.”
When: 9 a.m. July 4
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