Bands and Acts General Information and Rules

Parade Route: The parade begins at Lakeside Office Park, 599 North Ave, travels down North Avenue, taking a left onto Church Street, a right turn onto Common Street, which then merges into Main Street, and ends at Galvin Middle School, 525 Main Street, Wakefield, MA.

 

Parking is at Galvin Middle School and MG Fitness at 10 Broadway, Wakefield, around the corner from Galvin Middle School. Volunteers will be at both locations to assist.

 

Parade staging is at Lakeside Office Park. From North Ave, turn onto Willard Street and follow the signage to Check In. Check-in begins at 12:30 pm on July 4. North Avenue will be closed to traffic at 3:00 pm. Please make every effort to arrive before the street closure. If arriving after 3 pm, please park at MG Fitness, 10 Broadway, Wakefield, and volunteers will direct you to shuttles. The last shuttle leaves at 3:45 pm.

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We have adopted a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol consumption in cooperation with the Wakefield Emergency Management team. No alcoholic beverages or alcohol consumption is permitted on the parade route, staging areas, or parking lots. Failure to comply with this policy shall result in being reported to the Wakefield Police, removal from the parade, and forfeiture of future parade entry.

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There shall be no throwing of objects into the crowd, including water guns, silly string, candy, or souvenirs. This is also a zero-tolerance policy. Violating this policy will result in immediate removal from the parade and forfeiture of future entries. Any stickers, buttons, or other souvenirs to be handed out to spectators shall be approved by the WIDC before July 1, 2026. No political, sexual, discriminatory, racial, or offensive material will be allowed. There shall be no handing out of candy or food items.

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There shall be no smoking or vaping along the parade route.

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All participants shall fill out the entry form on julyparade.org. The WIDC will then review this form, and a response will be sent to you. There shall be no passing out of literature, hand billing, brochures, or fundraising by parade participants. No racial, religious, overtly sexual, sexually biased, violent, or ethnic slurs or offensive language, as deemed by the Parade Coordinator or WIDC, shall be allowed.

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All participants with horses or other animals must provide a clean-up team, or they will not be permitted in the parade.

 

All participants shall keep up the pace of the parade. There shall be designated spots for short performances by Marching Bands, Dance Units, etc. Parade marshals will be on the parade route to help with pacing and performance areas.

 

All vending on the Parade route and surrounding streets from 12 to 7 is permitted by the WIDC only. Please see the separate rules for parade vending.

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Float Information and Rules

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All rules and Information for Bands and Acts shall also apply to Float Entries, as do the following rules.

 

For safety reasons, there is no walking beside vehicles or floats on the parade route. Walk in front of or behind all vehicles, trailers, and floats. Exceptions shall be made for people-powered floats that require a person beside the float. Maximum height is 13’.

 

Non-profit, Civic Organizations, and School Groups are all invited to create a float for the Wakefield Independence Day Parade. Floats should be patriotic and follow the theme of “Celebrate the 250th in Wakefield”. A $200 reimbursement will be provided for materials. Please keep all receipts.

 

Local businesses are invited to enter a float for a fee of $250. Business floats must be patriotic and follow the theme of "Celebrate the 250th in Wakefield". First, second and third place will be awarded with a sign and recognition for business entries.

 

The Float Coordinator or WIDC reserves the right to remove any Float or group that is considered inappropriate or dangerous to spectators.

 

All floats and participants with floats shall be at Lakeside Office Park no later than 3 PM on July 4, 2026. North Avenue shall be closed, and late entries can not be accommodated. Judging shall commence at 3 PM, and awards will be given for the First, Second, and Third prizes. All participants shall remain with their float during judging. All judging shall be done by non-Wakefield residents; the judge's decision is final. All drivers shall be in the towing vehicle by 4:30 PM. Please make every effort to be within sight of the towing vehicle at all times.

 

The internet is a great resource for float ideas and materials. A great float does not need to be the size of a Tournament of Roses float or something you may see in New Orleans. It can be a people-powered push cart, a trailer used for grass and leaves to the composter, or even a boat trailer, with or without the boat. Get creative! Keep it patriotic, family-friendly, and fun!

 

We are all looking forward to seeing what sort of creative floats we will all be able to enjoy during this year's celebration!

 

Questions? info@julyparade.org

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