The sunny streets along San Jose’s Rose Garden neighborhood were lined with spectators as they braved the heat for the annual Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade.
The parade kicked off at Lincoln High School, running down Naglee Avenue and turning onto The Alameda, and there was also a car cruise hosted by the Lowrider Unity Council.
The accompanying festival has returned after a brief hiatus in 2023. Performers included Santa Clara Performance and Elite Dance, Ensamble Folclórico Colibri, Salseros Parceros, La Cumbiamba Columbiana, Pro Wrestling Revolution, GoGo Skateboarding Lessons, Movimiento Cultural Anahuac, Casita de las Artes, Dulce Tricolor Venezolano, Valverde Dance, Grupo Folklorico Yolotli Guerrense and many more.
The first Carnival of Roses was held in 1896, went on for four days and featured 23-year-old Lillian Rea as the first Rose Queen.
Alameda’s July Fourth Parade claims to be the longest in the nation with a route that spans 3.3 miles, attracting more than 170 entries and 2,500 participants. The event draws over 60,000 spectators from the region and entries include equestrians, dance troops, floats, antique cars, community groups and marching bands.
San Jose’s Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade returns to the city’s Rose Garden neighborhood drawing a crowd of curbside spectators, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group)
San Jose’s Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade returns to the city’s Rose Garden neighborhood with children jumping for tossed candy along Naglee Avenue, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group)
Scott Healy and his newborn Brixton wave to participants marching in the Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group)
The San Jose Bike Party rolls in the Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group)
A classic 23-window 1957 Volkswagen bus joins San Jose’s festive Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade on the streets of the city’s Rose Garden neighborhood, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group)
Christina Rodriguez watches San Jose’s Rose, White and Blue4th of July Parade cruise down Naglee Avenue on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group)
Miss Vietnam participants ride in San Jose’s Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade in the city’s Rose Garden neighborhood, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group)
Tony and Alba’s Pizza and the Anchovy Kazoo Band prepare to ride in San Jose’s Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade in the city’s Rose Garden neighborhood, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Karl Mondon/ Bay Area News Group)
East Bay Regional Park District participated in the Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft rides a bike as she waves at the crowd during the annual Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
The USS Hornet Sea, Air, & Space Museum participates with its Jet Cockpit during the annual Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Vietnam War Veteran Joe LoParo, as the parade Grand Marshall, waves at the crowd during the annual Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Ron Robles, left, and his nephew, Mark McGrath, sit in front of a set of flags they displayed on Robles’s front yard as they wait for the start of the annual Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Rebekah Balboni, of Alameda, shows off a trick before the start of the annual Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Spectators in patriotic colors watch participants in the Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Mexican cowboys with their horses from Castro Valley participate during the annual Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Miss Alameda County, Delaney O’Connell, waves at the crowd during the annual Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
The Alameda Theater and Cineplex float moves along Grand Avenue as a spectator looks on during the annual Fourth of July Parade in Alameda, Calif., on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)