The July 4th Parade Committee welcomes nominations for Grand Marshal of the 2022 Chatham Independence Day Parade. The Grand Marshal is designated to take the lead in the processional and in the hosting of festivities. As the Grand Marshal is a position of special honor, the nominee must be a year round or summer resident of Chatham and one who has made significant contributions to our community.
2022 Parade Registration is Now Open
Ready to submit an entry for a float in the 2022 Chatham Independence Day Parade? Then visit our entry submissions page here. It only takes a minute to get yourselves registered.
DEADLINE IS JUNE 15th! Please be sure to read our “Essential Information” page for all important information for entrants!
2022 Parade Entrants as of May 17th (in alphabetical order)
Andy Hurley
Cape Shark
ChathamAthletic Association (Chatham Anglers Baseball)
Chatham Bars Inn
Chatham Boy Scouts Troop 71
Chatham Pottery
Chatham Yacht Club
Cliff Stalker
Dance Therapy 508
Depot Dogs
DY Marching Band
Highland Light Scottish Pipe Band
John Cassaboon
Monomoy Yacht Club
Protect Our Past
Puzio Eyecare Associates
Robert Carleton
Rotary Club of Chatham
Scouts BSA Troop 280
Slightly Tooned
Stage Harbor Yacht Club
Steve Morgan and the Kingfish
Summer Sitters
The Fisher Family
The FitzGerald Family
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary – Chatham Flotilla
Walter Blackett
Witches On the Water, Inc.
Essential entrant information for the 2022 parade
2022 Theme – “Chatham: Salty as Ever”
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR ENTRANTS – PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY
Requirements for Entry:
Submit your registration no later than June 15, 2022 by visiting our website at www.chathamparade.com and completing the online application form. The link to the form is at the bottom of this page- please read all of the important entrant information!
All Entries will be reviewed by the Independence Day Parade Committee; if an entry does not meet all requirements, participation will be denied. Everything must be filled out completely for the application to be accepted. Please email any questions to chathamparade@gmail.com.
Applications received after the June 15, 2022 deadline may NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Rules for Participation (developed in conjunction with the Chatham Police Department):
- Throwing anything to the crowd, including candy and flyers, is strictly prohibited. This creates a potentially dangerous situation with implications for health, safety and injury.
- No float apparatus or act can exceed 14 feet in height from street level and width must not exceed 8 feet.
- All Entries and displays must be free from images reflecting cruelty, denigration or abuse to persons or groups, because of race, creed, gender or economic status.
- Emergency vehicles must be given the right of way at all times.
- Participants must remain grouped within parade boundaries or as directed by the Police or Parade Monitors. If the parade stops, participant groups must remain together. Unauthorized stops along the parade route are not permitted.
- It is essential to keep pace throughout the parade for the best experience for spectators and other entrants.
- Drinking alcoholic beverages is prohibited while in line before the start of and during the parade.
- The Parade Committee would like to recommend that entries not use helium balloons. Balloons pose a serious threat to wildlife if they are released. Whales, turtles, seabirds and other animals have all been killed by mistaking balloons for food and swallowing them. Let’s keep Chatham healthy!
These rules are for the safety of everyone. Not following them will jeopardize your participation in future parades.
Logistics of Parade:
- Entrants’ position number in the parade will be assigned and listed on the Independence Day Parade Committee website after June 24 and appear in the 24th issue of the Cape Cod Chronicle. (Entry registration dates do not factor into planning the parade order.)
- Prior to parade day, entrants are strongly encouraged to check in and pick up their position number flags at the Chatham Police Department at 249 George Ryder Road on the following days/times:
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- Entrants who are not able to check in during the above times must check in prior to positioning on Shore Road with a Parade Monitor stationed at the Chatham Town Fish Pier by 8:30am on the morning of July 3rd.
- All entrants must be checked in and in parade position at your numbered staging area on Shore Road no later than the times designated below:
- Entry #1 through #33 check in between 7:00am – 7:30am
- Entry #34 through #65 check in between 7:30am – 8:00am
- Entries #66 and up check in between 8:00am – 8:30am
- All entrants must be in parade position by 8:30am
- Position number must be displayed on the LEFT side of the Entry.
- The parade begins at 9:30am at the intersection of Shore Road and Main Street, and finishes at the intersection of Crowell Road and Tip Cart Road. Please adhere to police instructions for exiting the parade area.
- For entrants wishing to park at the Monomoy Regional Middle School, a shuttle bus will take you to Shore Road. This shuttle will run starting at 6:30am. The shuttle will run from the end of the parade back to the Monomoy Regional Middle School.
Parade Judging:
- To qualify for an award, the Entry must be consistent with the parade theme.
- All awards are determined solely at the discretion of the Judges.
- Entries are viewed by Judges along the parade route. The Judges’ reviewing stand is located on the lawn of the First United Methodist Church at the intersection of Main Street and Cross Street. Please do not stop here and delay the parade.
- Your Entry may win more than one award.
Parade Award Categories:
- 1st Place – Overall Best Entry will be recognized by an engraved brass plaque on the Chatham Parade Trophy displayed at Town Hall.
- 2nd Place Entry
- 3rd Place Entry
- Best Youth Entry (participants under
18 years old) - Most Patriotic Entry
- Funniest Entry
- Best Family Entry
- Best Civic Entry
- Most Environmentally Conscious Entry
- Best Use of Technology
All of the category award winners will receive a custom-designed engraved plaque which will be presented at an
awards ceremony during a Select Board meeting later in July.
Ready to sign up? Click here:
http://chathamparade.com/chatham-july-4th-parade-entry-submission
2021 Award Winners
Congratulations to the award winners of the 2021 Chatham Independence Day Parade!
Overall Winner: Phillips Farm Family
2nd Place Overall: Chatham Yacht Club
3rd Place Overall: Eventide Landscaping & Irrigation/Goodies
Best Youth Entry: Chatham Yacht Club
Most Patriotic Entry: Ken Owens Memorial Soccer Jamboree
Best Civic Entry: First Night Chatham
Funniest Entry: Chatham Drama Guild
Best Family Entry: The Magner Family
Best Use of Technology: Monomoy Yacht Club
Most Environmentally Conscious Entry: Oyster River Boat Yard
Thank you for another wonderful parade! We could not do this without your enthusiasm, creativity, and support! We look forward to seeing you again next year!
THE PARADE ORDER HAS BEEN SET FOR THE 2021 INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE!
Number | Name |
Chatham Police Department | |
Chatham Veterans | |
Chatham Veterans’ Auxiliary | |
USCG Station Chatham | |
US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Cape Cod Flotilla – (Chatham) | |
Chatham Fire Department (w/ others) | |
Chatham Town Flag | |
Chatham Select Board | |
Grand Marshalls | |
1 | Phillips Farm Family |
2 | Bob’s Beach Finds |
3 | Oyster River Boatyard |
4 | Boot Camp Chatham |
5 | Chatham Fiddle Company |
6 | Ken Owens Memorial Soccer Jamboree |
7 | Chatham Valet Inc. |
8 | America’s Boating Club Cape Cod Sail and Power Squadron |
9 | MA Det of Conservation and Rec Bureau of Forest Fire Control |
10 | DY Band |
11 | Tony Pearl |
12 | John Cassaboon |
13 | Andy Hurley |
14 | Walter Blackett |
15 | The Fisher Family |
16 | Southern Tide (Resort Retail Group) |
17 | Robert Carleton |
18 | Burton Staniar |
19 | The Black Dog |
20 | Guigli Family |
21 | Hoyda Family |
22 | John Avery |
23 | Rich Deyermond |
24 | Cliff Stalker |
25 | Cape Shark Co |
26 | Chatham Republican Town Committee |
27 | The Magner Family |
28 | Highland Light Scottish Pipe Band |
29 | Witches on the Water |
30 | Slm entertainment |
31 | Copper Moon Landscape & Design, Inc |
32 | Chatham Works |
33 | Protect Our Past |
34 | Chatham Drama Guild |
35 | Escape Landscape/Bridges For The Fallen |
36 | MONOMOY YACHT CLUB |
37 | Squire Mobile |
38 | Fisherman’s Daughter |
39 | Eldredge Public Library |
40 | First Night Chatham |
41 | Chatham Town Democratic Committee |
42 | Primabee |
43 | Summer Sitters |
44 | Chatham Squire |
45 | Meservey Motorsport |
46 | The Lueck Rosenson Family |
47 | Chatham Yacht Club |
48 | Chandler Travis Band |
49 | Eventide Landscaping & Irrigation + Goodies |
50 | Cape Cod Beach Chair Company |
51 | Stage Harbor Yacht Club |
52 | Cape Cod Fiddlers |
53 | Chatham Bars Inn |
54 | JFW Photography |
55 | Lower Cape Community Access Television Inc |
56 | Fleeting Moments Photography |
57 | CareWell Urgent Care |
58 | Steve Morgan and the Kingfish |
59 | MAHI GOLD |
That’s All Folks |
2021 Parade Prize Categories
The July 4 th Parade Committee has announced the prize categories for this year’s float entries. While the Select Board will make a decision June 1 st on whether the parade will be in-person or virtual, the Committee still plans on awarding prizes for entries inspired by this year’s parade theme: “Chatham: From ‘Shell-tering” by the Sea to Celebrating a New Beginning”.
The categories are as follows:
- Best Overall Entry
- 2nd Place
- 3rd Place
- Best Youth Entry
- Best Patriotic Entry
- Best Civic Entry
- Best Funny Entry
- Best Family Entry
- Best Use of Technology
- Most Environmentally Friendly
Parade entry forms and nominations for Parade Grand Marshal will be available in early May. Whether in-person or virtual, the Committee looks forward to another year of clever and imaginative floats and all-around fun, in the same spirit that Chatham has always celebrated the Fourth of July!
2021 July 4th Parade Theme
The countdown is on!
The Chatham Independence Day Parade Committee is pleased to announce the theme for 2021:
“Chatham: From ‘Shell-tering’ by the Sea
to Celebrating a New Beginning”
This past year has been an extraordinarily difficult time for so many of us, but Chatham residents have made the best of it by “shell-tering” in place: Zooming with friends and family, doing puzzles and reading books, helping children with their virtual schooling, working from home, practicing yoga and mindfulness, baking up a storm, AND walking our beautiful beaches. BUT, as COVID begins to ebb and vaccines begin to flow, we’re excited to turn the corner and celebrate a new beginning!
While the Committee hopes to host a traditional in-person parade, it recognizes that the pandemic may require us to offer a virtual event again this year. The Select Board will make the live vs. virtual decision by June 1st. If a virtual event is necessary, the Committee will put together a much more elaborate offering so that people can really put their all into their entries. Either way, parade participants are asked to use the theme for inspiration for their entry design.
Prize categories for float entries will be announced by the end of March and the entry form will be available in early April.
If you are on our email list, we will email you when the form is posted. We will also post about it on our website and social media.
Nominations for Parade Grand Marshal will be accepted during the month of May and the decision will be announced in June.
We look forward to yet another year of clever, imaginative, and all-around fun floats, whether we see them virtually or on Main Street!
A Virtual Alternative to Chatham’s 2020 Independence Day Parade!

COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of our daily life and forced the cancellation of cherished annual events, including Chatham’s July 4th Parade. Since the “traditional” parade brings joy and excitement every year to thousands of residents and visitors, the Parade Committee would like to host a “virtual” parade in its place! In order to accomplish this, we need your help!!
Individuals, families, local businesses and organizations, previous float registrants, band participants (anyone!) are asked to submit fun pictures or short videos (up to 30 seconds) incorporating one of the following:
- This year’s selected parade theme: “Chatham Celebrates Women – In Honor of the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote”
- Honoring First Responders and Health Care Workers who have been putting their lives on their line during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Honoring teachers who have been working harder than ever to keep students learning and engaged
- Overall Patriotism
Dress up in costumes, make signs, dance, play music, and/or happily shout your delight for participating in this year’s (virtual) July 4th Parade!!
Submission is easy – send your photos or videos to chathamparade@gmail.com by June 25.
Chatham’s local TV Channel 18 will broadcast it!
2020 July 4th Parade Theme
The countdown is on!
The Chatham Independence Day Parade Committee is pleased to announce the theme for 2020:
“Chatham Celebrates Women –
In Honor of the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote”
The idea for this year’s theme was submitted by Juliet Bernstein, a legendary Chatham citizen who has made significant contributions to the community through her activism, volunteerism, and leadership. With a backdrop of this year’s 100th anniversary of the passage of our Constitution’s 19th Amendment guaranteeing and protecting women’s right to vote, it’s a perfect opportunity to celebrate the contributions of women, both in Chatham and throughout our country.
Parade participants will use the theme for inspiration to design their entries. Thousands of spectators are expected to line the streets of downtown Chatham for this year’s Independence Day Parade on Saturday, the Fourth of July.
Prize categories for float entries will be announced by the end of February and the entry form will be available in early March. At that time you can go to the committee’s webpage, chathamparade.com, to register online or download the form. Nominations for Parade Grand Marshal will be accepted during the month of May and the decision will be announced in June.
It’s hard to believe that the parade is a little over five months away. By announcing the theme now, we hope prospective entrants will have plenty of time to design their entries. We look forward to yet another year of clever, imaginative, and all-around fun floats.