Huntington Beach celebrates 120th Independence Day event

Huntington Beach is celebrating its 120th Independence Day event, kicking things off with the 'biggest Independence Day parade west of the Mississippi.'

The parade rolled down PCH and Main Street Thursday morning and wrapped up around noon, but Mayor Gracey Vandermark says the party does not stop there.

"After the parade, everybody just hangs around downtown," she tells KNX News. "It has a huge economic impact on our city, so businesses are happy, and families are out here happy together. It's been great, and we have people from literally all over the country."

About a half million people were expected to attend the festivities with live music at Pier Plaza set to go on until nine o'clock Thursday night when the fireworks will begin.

As part of the celebrations, a Home Decorating Contest is held each year, kicking off the festivities. Residents participated in two categories:

Main Street Parade Route: This category is open to residents with homes along the parade route (from 600 block of Main Street to 17th Street).

City-Wide: Residents from all Huntington Beach zip codes (92646, 92647, 92648, 92649) can participate in this category. The theme for the 2024 contest was "Through The Decades." Residents decorate their homes based on this theme, vying for the Mayor's Award, Best in Show, and Best Use of Theme.

You can check out all the winners from this year's competition and their patriotic decorations HERE .