Concord 4th of July parade celebrates community spirit

CONCORD, CA (July 4, 2023) — Flags, frisbees and lollipops handed out by various parade contingents brought smiles to kids young and old. Concord’s 2023 4th of July parade brought a good crowd to downtown Tuesday morning.

Following the early morning Stars and Stripes 5K and kids run, the parade got underway just after 10 AM.

Unlike some years when summer weather can mean hunting for any shady spot to watch the parade, the mild weather felt perfect for a celebration of the nation’s birthday.

Red, white and blue adorned members of the audience in equal measure to the parade floats. Babies, dogs and even a man in a patriotic dinosaur costume wore American flag-themed colors.

Community spirit ran high throughout the perimeter of Todos Santos Plaza. The 2-hour parade brought politicians, classic cars, church groups, colorful dragons, Jr. Giants and wrapped up with a crowd-pleasing performance by the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. Happy 4th of July!

Stars and Stripes 5K and kids run

Runners were up early for the Stars and Stripes 5K run before the parade.  Nicholas Knisley, 17, of Walnut Creek crossed the finish line first with a time of 16:55.

Rayna Stanziano, 21, of Concord was the fastest woman runner. She completed the course at 17:51.