4th of July Parade 2019 | ‘Festival of Balloons’ Packs Streets with Pageantry

Another year for South Pasadena’s biggest citywide event for the books. Across the nation, Independence Day is indisputably a day that brings people from all walks of life to come together for a day packed with celebrations, from the wee hours of the morning to the last gleams of twilight and well into the night.

The case couldn’t be more so than in South Pasadena, what many consider to be a slice of good old Americana not 20 minutes from Los Angeles. Let’s face it, with the 4-hour long pancake breakfast, annual block parties dotting the city’s neighborhoods, and grandiose fireworks shows, the spirit is almost unrivaled.

The centerpiece of the day’s festivities however, is most definitely the ‘Festival of Balloons’ parade, which in it’s 38th year is keeping the tradition going as strong as ever. Describing the pure hometown character of the parade with words doesn’t do it justice, so the best way to do so is by letting the pictures speak for themselves perhaps.

Photos by Esteban Lopez, Eric Fabbro, and Kasper Tobias

’til next year!