ROUTE: The route is approximately 0.7 miles long. Units will maintain a slow rate of speed of approximately 5 to 8 mph. 

The parade will begin at the intersection of Ave Des Parques and W. Venice Avenue, traveling eastbound in the westbound lane. The parade will turn right on Nassau Street heading south to Pensacola Road, wrapping around West Blalock Park. The parade will end on Pensacola just before Turin Street. 

ROAD CLOSURES: Roadways along the parade route will begin to close between 7:30 and 8 a.m. 

VIEWING: The parade will not have pedestrian barricades/fencing. Spectators are reminded to stay OUT of the roadway and parade path. Candy, trinkets or giveaways will be walked over and handed to spectators. 

The parade is visible from the following areas: 

• West Venice Avenue, from the north side/ westbound lane between Ave Des Parques and Nassau Street
• Nassau Street, from the east and west sides/ north and southbound lanes between W. Venice Avenue and Milan Street 
• West Blalock Park, from the Pensacola Road side

Public parking is available at the following locations, first-come-first-served:

• Centennial Park, 200 W. Venice Ave, enter from Tampa Avenue
• Graser Park, 740 Barcelona Ave
• Hecksher Park, 450 W. Venice Ave, enter from Barcelona Ave, 4-hour limit
• Legacy Park, 395 E Venice Ave
• Venice Beach, 101 The Esplanade
• Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave, north parking lot, enter from Nokomis Ave using Milan and Turin 
• Venice High School, 1 Indian Ave 
• Under the North/KMI Bridge
• Under the Venice Avenue Bridge 

The Venice Farmers Market will not be held on July 4. The City Hall parking lot will be used for staging and staff parking. 

Space is limited. To preserve the hometown feel of this special Centennial and Independence Day celebration, parade participation in the parade was limited to City of Venice residents, businesses, non-profits, and Venice MainStreet partners and was capped at 50 parade units, with additional restrictions in place to support a safe and enjoyable event. A parade unit includes all participants within a group and can be comprised of vehicles, trucks, trucks with small trailers, golf carts, walkers, bicycles. 

Units must stay within the limits below. Units exceeding participation, length, or height requirements may be removed from the parade. No additions can be made to parade units once the application has been approved. 

SAFETY MEETING: A mandatory safety meeting for parade participants will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30 in Council Chambers at City Hall, 401 W. Venice Ave. At least one representative from each unit must attend. Units not represented at the meeting will not be eligible to participate. No changes can made to any units after the safety meeting.  

MORNING OF THE PARADE: Units may begin arriving to their designated staging location by 8:30 a.m. and must be in the staging area no later than 9:15 a.m. 

DURING THE PARADE: Units will maintain a slow rate of speed of 5 to 8 mph, and will abide by directions given by VPD officers and parade volunteers/ushers positioned along the route. 

• City Centennial, Patriotic, or American 250^th theme required for all participants. 
• No performances, all units must keep moving. There are no stages, no announcements. 
• No throwing candy or trinkets. Giveaways must be handed out or walked over to spectators.
• No pyrotechnics; no weapons, no alcohol, no nudity, no bathing suits, no vulgarity or discrimination. Keep your shirts on. 
• No farm animals or livestock; well behaved dogs on leashes are welcome. You are responsible for picking up pet waste and ensuring your pet is hydrated/fed. 

EXITING THE PARADE: 

• Units will be directed to exit the parade route via ROUTE A or ROUTE B to keep the flow of traffic moving and prevent any delays or back up. 
• Abide by directions given to you VPD officers, parade volunteers or ushers. 

Permanent restrooms are available at:

• Hecksher Park, 450 W. Venice Ave 
• Centennial Park, 200 W. Venice Ave 
• Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave S
• Venice Beach, 101 The Esplanade 

Portable restrooms are available at:

• City Hall, 401 W. Venice Ave 
• West Blalock Park 
• Venice Community Center
• Ponce De Leon Park 

• Free watermelon slices and bottles of water will be available in three places along the parade route.
• Free face painting, balloon twisting and airbrush tattoos, and lemonade for purchase available at Ponce De Leon Park 9 to 11 am. 
• Traditional concessions will not be available along the parade route, however, food and drinks are available for purchase from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at West Blalock Park and the Venice Community Center.

WC Sounds will serve as the MC at the start of the parade, kicking off at 9:30 a.m. near the intersection of Ave Des Parques and W. Venice Ave. Hear patriotic music and picnic announcements until the parade concludes.

The Movie Yard will be DJing in West Blalock Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with patriotic and family-friendly music. Come get your dance on while enjoying the family-friendly activities in the park, then make your way over to the Venice Community Center for even more music and fun!

The Venice Gondoliers takes the stage inside the Venice Community Center from 11 to 11: 15 a.m. 

The Venice High School Band takes the stage from noon to 1 p.m. in the Venice Community Center!

 FOOD TRUCK ROW 

Serving for and drinks for purchase from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the north Venice Community Center parking lot, near the Old Betsy and Venice museums: 

• BrewBurgers
• Dawg Pound
• El Guero Tacos
• Rollin' with Hart Comfort Food
• Chilly Panda Shaved Ice
• Sunny Days Ice Cream
• Nana's Bananas 

Ponce De Leon Park

The Lemonade Express 

A full morning and afternoon of fun for the whole family with activities taking place inside Venice Community Center from 11 AM to 1 PM and outside in the front lawn and West Blalock Park from 9 AM to 1 PM. 

- Uncle Sam look-a-like contest 11:30 to 11:40 AM inside the VCC

- Patriotic Trivia from 11:15 to 11:40 AM inside the VCC

- Storybook Characters roaming the VCC from 11 AM to noon 

- Games and more! 

Venice Museum: Open with special hours on Saturday, July 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring seasonal and Centennial exhibits, Centennial stickers and magnets, America 250 color sheets, the gift shop, and more!

Old Betsy: Decorated for Independence Day — stop by to see the old girl wrapped in Old Glory!

We are excited to bring back a daytime July 4th parade, first time since the 70s, and community picnic in celebration of both America’s 250th anniversary and the City’s Centennial.

This year’s event is truly a grassroots community effort, and many of the family-friendly activities taking place in the West Blalock Park and the cultural campus lawn, the picnic will rely heavily on volunteers to help lead activities, assist participants, and keep the event running smoothly. From watermelon eating contests and tug-of-war to sand art and children’s games, volunteers will play a major role in helping create a fun and memorable day for the community.

We anticipate needing close to or 100 volunteers throughout the parade and picnic to help make the event successful, and we sincerely appreciate everyone willing to step in and support the celebration. Register to volunteer here: America 250 & City Centennial Picnic & Parade – Fill out form

The picnic is hosted in partnership with Venice MainStreet who is managing the festivities taking place inside the Venice Community Center. Additional event information, including parade and picnic details, can be found here: https://www.venicegov.com/things-to-do/july-4th-parade-picnic We’ll also need volunteers for July 5 beach clean-up which will come in a separate email in the next few weeks.

Once you register, over the next few weeks, we will begin reaching out with specific volunteer opportunities, activity assignments, and scheduling information.