City of Annapolis Independence Day Parade

Annapolis manages its Independence Day parade with the quiet confidence of a city that has been practicing civic ceremony since the colonial period and sees no reason to alter the formula. On Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., the parade steps off from Amos Garrett Boulevard and moves along West Street, around Church Circle, and down Main Street toward the harbor district, concluding at Susan Campbell Park by approximately 8 p.m. Admission is free throughout. The route passes through some of the most architecturally coherent 18th-century streetscape remaining in the mid-Atlantic, and the harbor’s presence at the end of Main Street gives the procession a natural and deeply satisfying terminus.

A Route Worth Walking Before the Parade
The parade corridor doubles as one of the finest urban walks in Maryland on any given afternoon. The Church Circle spoke pattern, radiating from the 1772 State House dome, connects the city’s principal historic districts with a pedestrian logic that rewards slow exploration. Walk the route southbound before the barriers go up, note the architecture of the Maryland Inn at the top of Main Street and the scale compression as Main Street narrows toward the harbor, and claim a sidewalk position near the bottom of the hill by 6 p.m. for the best view of the procession descending toward the water.

The Naval Academy and the Waterfront
The United States Naval Academy’s Visitor Center at 52 King George Street provides free access to the Academy grounds and the Naval Academy Museum, both of which reward a morning visit before the evening parade. The Brigade of Midshipmen often participates in Annapolis civic events, and the Academy’s formal boat basin along College Creek, visible from the seawall walk, holds a working fleet of naval vessels that gives the harbor’s sailboat-heavy visual vocabulary an appropriately martial counterpoint on Independence Day. Families with children interested in military service or naval history will find the combination of Academy grounds and parade route one of the most naturally coherent July 4 itineraries available in the mid-Atlantic region.

Where to Eat
Carrol’s Creek Café on Severn Avenue in Eastport, across the Spa Creek drawbridge from downtown, has maintained its position as Annapolis’ most reliably excellent waterfront dining room for over three decades. The Maryland crab soup, made with blue claw crab in a vegetable-rich tomato broth seasoned with Old Bay, is the kitchen’s most honest and most enduring offering. The harbor-facing tables provide a clear view of the Annapolis skyline across Spa Creek and justify the short walk from the parade route’s lower end.

Logistics
Free admission. Parade route from Amos Garrett Boulevard along West Street, around Church Circle, and down Main Street to Susan Campbell Park. Parade begins at 6:30 p.m., concludes by approximately 8 p.m. Downtown Annapolis parking fills by mid-afternoon on the Fourth; use the Hillman Garage on Duke of Gloucester Street or the Noah Hillman Garage and walk to the route.

Where to Stay
Annapolis’ historic district inns and the broader Severn River waterfront offer accommodations well-suited to a full holiday weekend on the water. For Chesapeake Bay waterfront rental options beyond the immediate city, search available properties on Lake.com and book your Annapolis-area base before the summer season closes the calendar.