Parade Route Info

  • Our Kiddie Parade (11am) and Grand Parade (11:30am) both start from West Rutherford Street on the North end of Tolt Avenue.

    Each parade marches South (toward Tolt Middle School + Fall City) along our Main Street, finishing at Myrtle Street.

    See the map here!

    DID YOU KNOW? The parade is not viewable from the sidewalk in front of Carnation Library (!), so please set up SOUTH of W. Rutherford Street.

  • The Kiddie Parade lines up in front of Carnation Library this year at 10:45am.

    • Bring the whole family - no registration is needed!

    • Kids can pick up a token for a free Blake’s ice cream from our Kiddie Parade leaders, sponsored by the Carnation 4th Committee.

    The Grand Parade lines up westbound on W. Rutherford, then southbound on Stewart Ave.

    • Parade entries check in 9:30-10:30am at W. Rutherford and Tolt Ave. (south side of the Tolt UCC stone church lot) at the Registration Table.

    • Pre-registration is required. Acts sign onto our Code of Conduct.

    FUN FACT: 2024 and 2025’s parade each featured more than 40 entries. What a show!

  • The 4th is often hot, so bring water and snacks! Local businesses will be open with exciting offerings and options for kids of all ages.

    Vendor Village at Tolt Commons will feature additional food and beverage options from 10:30am-3pm.

  • Where to view: Folks sometimes start setting up chairs along the route on the 4th at around 9:30am, once the Tolt UCC Pancake Breakfast begins. Do not set up in front of Carnation Library; the shade is tempting, but the parade runs South of Tolt UCC, not North.

    Set up safely: Please set up on sidewalks, not streets. Keep kids back from the street (safety first). Bring water, sunscreen, shade hats and snacks or find goodies from our local businesses or vendors.

    Mind the route: Be respectful of the plants in planter boxes, stay out of the roadways, and be thoughtful and courteous of your neighbors and others’ sightlines.

    Treats for sale: Water, coffee, fun drinks and beverages, and food/snacks for the whole family are available at our Main Street local businesses! Additional food + drinks vendors will set up at 10:30 at Tolt Commons for Vendor Village.

    Pro Tips: Don’t miss the Tolt UCC Pancake Breakfast 8-10:30am or strawberry shortcake at the Sno Valley Senior Center 10:30-12:30. Order shortcake a week ahead to be sure to reserve your piece!

  • Each year, Carnation residents nominate their fellow community members for the honor of Grand Marshal, our ceremonial Hometown Hero of the year who helps lead the parade in style - often in an open-top convertible, horse + buggy, or other extra fun ride.

    This year we are honored to get to feature Valley legend Gary Remlinger, in tandem with his 80th birthday, and the 60th birthday of Remlinger Farms - u-Pick farm, fun park, event center, and concert venue. Remlinger Farms and Gary’s work with salmon and the watersheds, enormous community contribution for the 4th (including the berries for both Senior Center and Tolt UCC), and legendary imagination (did you know there are original Seattle World’s Fair carousels still operating at Remlinger Fun Park?) inspire Valley kids of all ages and extend a first job or summer opportunity. to countless Valley teenagers.

    Thank you to Gary and Bonnie Remlinger and to everyone who participated in our nominations this year!

  • Perennial fan favorites are back again this year for the Great Carnation 4th of July’s Grand Parade!

    • Generations of participants love Northwest Vintage Iron’s antique tractors, driven by the valley’s most iconic community tractor drivers’ club.

    • Sequined country line dancers West Coast Country Heat will be back this year and will perform at the Parade Stage (Tolt Ave + Bird Street) directly after the Grand Parade.

    • Ixtapa’s famous Dancing Horses and Dancers are back, a beautiful show and incredible talent worth seeing for yourself!

    • SnoValley Pride’s fan favorites the rainbow unicorns are slated to return. Snap sparkly pictures to prove you saw them live!

    • Oxbow Farms, Snoqualmie Valley Sunflower Festival, and more of our wonderful farms and farmers will be participating - we’ve heard rumors of snapdragon fronds and seed packets available for kids and families.

    Additional rumors are circulating that honorary Carnation 4th mascot Red Velvet the Cow may make a cameo (came-moo?) appearance.

  • We recommend:

    • Parking at Remlinger’s designated daylong lots (for free!),

    • Arriving by 10am to have plenty of time, and

    • Taking our free event shuttle (which runs 9:30am-4:30pm) from the Remlinger trail trestle bridge to the Living Word Community Church in Downtown Carnation (at Entwistle + McKinley).

    For more info on parking, including ADA options:

    From Downtown to Remlinger it’s about a 20 minute walk on Snoqualmie Valley Trail, which is flat and great for biking/strollers. Google Maps serves good walking directions.

  • We gather with appreciation on the Ancestral Lands of the Snoqualmie Tribe, the People of the Moon, who tend this Valley’s ecosystems to this day with stewardship, creativity and leadership.

    Please join us as part of the Snoqualmie Ancestral Lands Movement in recreating responsibly as we gather thankfully for our beautiful surroundings (and one another) for this annual tradition.

    Recreating Responsibly means:

    1. Treat the lands with the respect they deserve, by picking up your own trash, and that of others that you see, properly disposing of pet waste, and staying on designated trails.

    2. Commit to experience the lands in a way that is centered in mindfulness rather than conquest. (Did you know that the Iroquois Great Law of Peace shaped US democracy?)

    3. Learn more about the Snoqualmie Tribe and its history and deep connections to these lands, and support the work the Tribe does today to continue stewarding these lands.

    4. Acknowledge that you are recreating on Snoqualmie ancestral lands through both written or verbal acknowledgement and through practice.

    5. Help the Tribe spread its message by encouraging others to learn more and practice land acknowledgment both on and off the trails.

    Check out the Snoqualmie Tribe’s online Pledge here and look through the interactive, educational Story Map here with your kids or family.