| My husband and I usually travel back to our home state to attend a Fourth of July parade in a small town with our kids. It’s so fun, with a party in the town center right after. I’m not sure we’ll be able to make it back at that time this year and am wondering if there are any small towns that have great parades outside of DC, particularly in MD. Recommendations? |
| Fairfax City has one |
| Takoma Park has the best small town 4th in the area. |
| Takoma Park’s is pretty good |
| Kensington bike parade, ending in St. Paul park. |
Word of warning - We are COF residents and we put out chairs at least 24 hours in advance. If you are looking for a spot as walk-up, get off of Main St and head up University to closer to city hall. |
| Falls Church City |
| Make a day of it and come to the Barracks Row parade on Capital Hill - eastern market metro takes you right there and then go see the capital |
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Palisades in NW DC has a great 4th of July parade! It feels very much like a hometown parade (local politicians, beauty queens, businesses, kids sports teams, fire trucks, bag pipes, etc.) but with DC specific elements like the Different Drummers and multicultural groups like the Bolivian dancers.
We go every year and the kids love it! Parking can be tough, but not impossible and it’s fairly easy to find a good place in the shade to watch the parade. Theres a BBQ and fun events like dunking booths and bounce houses at the rec center after the parade. |
| Great Falls |
| Middleburg? |
Nice. Kind of surprised as seems like that part of town would empty out. |
| Catonsville MD has a fantastic one! They joke that it’s “Catonsville Christmas”. Everyone has big parties in their lawns, the parade is really well done, and it’s a walkable town which makes it more festive |
| Shady Side and Galesville. |
Great Falls! It’s the best. |