It’s 5 a.m. and hundreds of Coronado residents and visitors are camped in lawn chairs and wrapped in blankets along the Orange Avenue median. Within a few hours, tens of thousands of people will come to watch.
It’s the biggest day of the year in Coronado: the Fourth of July parade.
“They used to go out the night before and claim it the night before,” longtime parade organizer Dave Szymanski says of fans scouting out their spots.
Spots for parade watchers begin at 5 a.m.
That’s not allowed anymore, but people can arrive at around 4:30 a.m. and wait in their cars for the median to open up at 5 a.m., Szymanksi says.
The parade does not start until 10 a.m., and it runs through the heart of the city on Orange Avenue.
Symanski, one of the many volunteers for Coronado Fourth of July, has some advice for those looking for a prime location: Park the night before away from the route, and get dropped off in the morning because parking is limited.
As in past years, the Coronado Fourth of July parade this year has much to look forward to.
Bands, equestrians and car clubs
Bands, equestrians, car clubs and military entries are just a few of the types of groups that will be making their way down Orange Avenue on Independence Day.
“It’s a small town feel with the parade, with bands and equestrians and such; but we do get people from San Diego County and even out of the country,” Szymanski says.
A marching band from the Great Lakes have stopped by every now and then, and Coronado even saw a band from Australia, who were making their way through Southern California about 15 years ago, he says.
Parade applications closed May 20
Even though the applications to be in the parade closed May 20, Szymanski is still receiving applications.
“There’s an occasional exception depending on what it is,” Szymanski says, explaining that groups interested in entering the parade can still try their luck.
“We always get compared with the Rose Parade. If they had to choose between the Rose Parade and [Coronado’s Parade], they’d rather ride in ours,” says Szymanski.
