Fourth of July 2019 is only a few weeks away and, as you begin to make plans to celebrate, do not forget about all the fun activities that are happening throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.

The city has got you covered this Independence Day, starting with the Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July Parade in the morning and a spectacular fireworks show at night, as well as other activities for the whole family.

Now, you are probably wondering how you get in on all the fun, right? Well, do not worry, we have got you covered.

Here are the top 10 things to know this Fourth of July:

1. Who, what, where, and when?

The Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July Parade is an annual tradition that began in 1932 to celebrate America’s independence. The parade brings together over 3,000 participants and 25,000 spectators from around the community.

Participants start marching at 9 a.m. beginning at the roundabout at Main Street and Newhall Avenue. They make their way down Main Street and then take a left onto Lyons Avenue. They then take a right onto Orchard Village Road. They finish the parade near 16th Street.

Grab your lawn chairs, throw on your red, white, and blue, and arrive early to get a good spot along the route to watch the parade.

2. Parking

Finding parking for the parade has never been easier thanks to the city of Santa Clarita’s 370-space parking structure at the corner of Railroad Avenue and 9th Street.

Parking is also available in the public parking areas around Newhall, including the Newhall Metrolink Station parking lots, the Newhall Community Center, Hart High School, and Placerita Junior High School.

However, do not try to park near William S. Hart Park or 16th Street. These are parade staging areas and parking is not allowed.

Another option is to avoid parking all together by using rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft, or public transportation. Visit SantaClaritaTransit.com for bus schedule and routes.

3. Meet this year’s Grand Marshals!
This year’s theme of the parade is “The Signal Century: Celebrating Our Press Freedom”, which honors the Santa Clarita Valley Signal’s 100th anniversary. Fitting with the theme, the owners of The Signal, Richard and Chris Budman, will be this year’s grand marshals.

The Budmans returned to the newspaper last year when the couple purchased the publication; Richard Budman had previously been the editor of the newspaper from 2004 to 2007.

Richard Budman is no stranger to publishing: with over 30 years of experience, he returned to The Signal with hopes of boosting the reputation of the newspaper throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.

4. Can’t make it to the parade?

If you cannot make it out to the parade this year, each of the local media have their own way of covering the parade.

SCVTV will have a livestream broadcast during the parade and will also air a full broadcast of the parade available later on in the day, complete with exclusive interviews, float-by-float announcing, and a multi-camera view. It will be available to watch on Spectrum 20, AT&T U-Verse 99, and SCVTV.com.

5. The parade is actually a contest!

Parade entries are competing to win first, second, and third place in each of the categories, as well as overall winners of Sweepstakes, Best of Theme, Best Decorated, and Grand Equestrian.

The trophies are awarded at 12:30 p.m. at The MAIN, located at 24266 Main Street, Santa Clarita, CA 91321.

6. What to do.
Bring water: with typically high heat expected each Fourth of July, it is important to stay hydrated.
Wear helmets: it is the law for kids and it helps keep you safe, even for you, adults!

7. And what not to do.
Do not spray silly string: it is banned from the parade, but the parade committee cannot ban the sale of a product by vendors that is legal to own. It is legal to own it, but not legal to spray silly string at the parade.
Do not bring alcohol: it is 9 a.m. and in public.
Do not throw anything: candy, flags, etc. must be handed to spectators.

Make sure to follow these rules or you may be disqualified from the parade or not allowed to partake in next year’s parade.

Visit SCVParade.com for a full list of all the rules.

8. Come early for delicious pancakes!

Prior to the parade, the Santa Clarita Rotary Club hosts a pancake breakfast in the Roger Dunn Golf parking lot on Main Street at 6:30 a.m to 9:30 a.m.

Volunteers wake up early to cook a delicious breakfast of sausage, pancakes, and cowboy coffee. (Yum!)

The breakfast costs $5 per person and all the money goes to local charities.

9. Go for a run before the parade!

Santa Clarita Valley Runners will be hosting their 37th annual Independence Day 5K and 10K Run/Walk, as well as a Kids K and a non-competitive walk.

The 10K race beings at 7 a.m., the 5K and walk begins at 8 a.m., and the Kids K begins at 7:45 a.m.

The proceeds of the race go towards the cross country teams at the six Santa Clarita high schools and other local charities.

For more information and to register for the race visit scrunners.org.

10. We can’t forget about fireworks!

The city of Santa Clarita will host their annual professional Fourth of July Fireworks Show at Westfield Valencia Town Center. The fireworks will shoot off from the top of the parking garage above Buca di Beppo, beginning around 9:15 p.m.

The fireworks show is put on by professionals and all other fireworks are illegal in the city of Santa Clarita. This includes sky rockets, bottle rockets, roman candles, sparklers more than 10 inches in length or one-fourth of one inch in diameter, mortars, cherry bombs, firecrackers, palomitas, and helicopters.