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Idaho 4th of July Parade from Boise

Crowd of people watching the honor guard in the Boise 4th of July Independence Day Parade in front of the Boise capitol building. Crowd of people watching the honor guard in the Boise 4th of July Independence Day Parade in front of the Boise capitol building.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

The parade is scheduled for Thursday, July 4th, 2024 at 10:00am.

The parade will take place downtown, along the Boise's designated parade route (1.2 miles), primarily along W. Jefferson Street and W. Bannock Street. The parade will start on W. Jefferson Street, from N. 11th Street to 4th Street, and then up W. Bannock Street to finish at N. 11th Street.

Opening Ceremonies will be held in front of the State Capitol Building beginning at 9:00am. There will be a Pancake Breakfast hosted by Veteran Entrepreneur Alliance (VEA) at Cecil D. Andrus Park beginning at 7:00am.

More information about the ceremony and pancake breakfast can be found in the Associated Events & Special Programming section below.

There are a variety of options to watch the parade:

The parade will be live on KBOI for 90 minutes (10:00am – 11:30am) and should be concluded in-person by 12:00pm.

Attendance & Spectator Information

No; this parade is free and open to the public.

Yes; pets on leashes are welcome to join as long as you're in compliance with governing City Ordinances.

Note: There will be amplified Audio-Visual elements (Public Address system), live music, marching bands, horns/sirens, aircraft fly-overs, and other live animals participating in the parade. Please consider how these loud parade elements might upset your furry friends.

Unfortunately, no. Let's face it: pets love pancakes and bacon as much as we do! However, animals around food preparation stations (and the amazing smell of bacon) just doesn't work out.

Yes; There is designated ADA viewing areas in the Grandstand area. See the Accessible Accommodations / ADA section below for more info.

Note: We ask all parade attendees to allow persons in wheelchairs to occupy paved/accessible spaces throughout the parade route. Our Safety Staff and Volunteers will gladly help accommodate ADA guests upon request.

Yes; you are welcome to bring your own chairs.

No; you are welcome to bring personal cameras and professional cameras alike.

Parking & Transportation

Boise has a fair amount of available street parking (except for affected parade route road closures), as well as downtown parking garages.

Yes, placarded ADA parking is available as street-parking (except for affected parade route road closures), as well as [paid] downtown parking garages.

Yes; please visit Valley Regional Transits website for bus routes.

Yes; the following roads will be closed until the conclusion of the parade:

W. State Street to W. Idaho Street, from N. 12th Street to N. 3rd Street

Weather

The parade may be delayed or canceled due to extreme weather conditions. Event organizers will be closely monitoring weather conditions and will proceed as long as it is safe to do so. Any delays or cancellations will be communicated through the Public Address system, the live-stream broadcast, and across social media platforms.

Safety, First Aid Stations, & Lost Child

Yes; there are two First Aid stations:

  • First Aid 1: N. 8th Street & W. Jefferson Street (outside parade loop)
  • First Aid 2: SE corner of Cecil D. Andrus Park by N. 6th Street (inside parade loop) at the Pancake Breakfast event

Note: If you have a critical medical emergency (such as a suspected heart attack or stroke) and cannot move to one of the First Aid stations, call 911 as soon as possible while event medical staff are being dispatched to your location.

Both First Aid stations will be utilized as Lost Child reunification points:

Overlay of the parade route around the Boise capitol. Opening ceremony and grand stand in front of capitol building with LED screen broadcast and pancake breakfast available in the park across the street. First aid and lost child stations available on the corner of Jefferson and 8th Street as well as Bannock and 6th. Click to open parade route image in new tab for full-sized viewing.

Security personnel, Parade Staff, and Volunteers will be positioned throughout the parade route. If you become separated from your child, ask any staff member, volunteer, or first responder to assist.

What.3.Words is a free app used by emergency dispatch and responding agencies to provide precise locations to emergency first responders. With one click, a user can request help from local emergency dispatch by sending a 3-word code which provides the user's exact location (accurate within 3-meters).

Visit their website to learn more or download the application.

Accessible Accommodations / ADA

Yes; there are designated ADA viewing areas in the Grandstand area (at the Capitol).

Note: We ask all parade attendees to allow persons in wheelchairs to occupy paved/accessible spaces throughout the parade route. Our Safety Staff and Volunteers will gladly help accommodate ADA guests upon request.

Yes, placarded ADA parking is available as street-parking (except for affected parade route road closures), as well as [paid] downtown parking garages.

Television Broadcast & Media Partners

Yes; the parade will be televised live on CBS 2 (KBOI in Boise & KLEW in Lewiston), starting at 10:00am.

Yes; the live-stream will begin with the Opening Ceremonies at 9:00am on KBOI 2's website as well as the CBS 2 Facebook and YouTube pages.

Associated Events & Special Programming

The Pancake Breakfast in Cecil D. Andrus Park is hosted by Veterans Entrepreneur Alliance (VEA) and will start at 7:00am.

You can learn more about the breakfast by viewing the event page on the VEA website.

The Opening Ceremonies will begin at 9:00am.

Yes; there will be a variety of special programming. This includes:

  • CapEd Credit Union's hot air balloon launch
  • Military aircraft fly-overs
  • Armada Community Marching Band
  • Parade of Flags
  • Joint reading of the Declaration of Independence

Parade Participants & Floats

Visit the Enter Parade section to register (until entries are closed).

Parade entry rules and float competition guidelines are available in the Entry Requirements section.

No; parade participants, whether walking or riding in/on a vehicle, are not permitted to throw any candy during the parade. This is a critical safety concern. Participants may hand out promotional giveaways and flyers but may not throw candy or items. The parade organizers seek to have a safe and litter free event.

Yes; parade participants can elect to compete for prize money to be awarded to the winning organization's local charity of choice. Winners will be announced during the parade's live broadcast.

Food & Refreshments

No; other than the Pancake Breakfast in Cecil D. Andrus Park, there are no other pop-up food vendors on the parade route (such as food trucks). However, there are plenty of great restaurant and café options conveniently located throughout the downtown area.

Absolutely; feel free to bring a picnic or snacks… we recommend bringing water!

Contact Information

Please contact us by using the Contact Us form.

Parade Organizers & Sponsors

We The People 4th of July Parade Celebration, Inc. (We The People) is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit. This organization is the facilitator of the parade. Additionally, Outdoor Event Group is contracted by We The People to function as the event organizer. We The People is very grateful for the City of Boise, State of Idaho, ACHD and other government agencies for their collaboration and support of the parade.

We The People is deeply appreciative of CapEd Credit Union, Petersons Chevrolet, Visit Boise, Idaho Democratic Party, Idaho Republican Party, City of Boise, Gravis Law Offices, Ball Ventures Ahlquist, and In The Bag Promotions for their financial support. Additionally, the parade would not be possible without CBS2 and KBOI Radio for their media sponsorship.