Annual 4th of July car parade spreads red, white and blue spirit around Nipomo

NIPOMO, Calif. - A popular 4th of July tradition returned to the streets of Nipomo on Tuesday, spreading holiday spirit around the community.

The annual Nipomo 4th of July Parade brought out dozens of vehicles, most of which were adorned with American flags or other red, white and blue decorations.

Beginning at Nipomo High School, the vehicles then proceeded to make their way through the much of the community, traveling approximately 12 miles along numerous streets and roadways around the area.

This marked the fourth straight year the parade was designed in this easy-to-view format, which brought the parade into many different neighborhoods, instead of being held in the traditional single location.

First created in 2017, the Independence Day parade originally traveled along several blocks on East Tefft Street in Old Town Nipomo for the first three years.

Instantly, the event became a popular attraction, bringing out thousands of people to the sidewalks and neighborhoods in the Old Town area.

However, in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic forced parade organizers to shift the format into a community-wide parade of cars, trucks and other vehicles that traveled throughout much of the Nipomo area.

Instead of parade goers attending in a single location along East Tefft Street, the parade came out into the town, covering several miles of local streets and roads.

The modified format was used again in 2021 and 2022 and once again this year.

The one-hour long parade began at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning at Nipomo High School and ended at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

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