The 2025 Chatham Independence Day Parade winners, as selected by parade judges Jo-Ellen Erickson, Amy Tagliaferri, and Lucy Bates, are:

Overall 1st Place   The Phillips Farm Family

Overall Second Place  Chatham Municipal Airport

Overall Third Place   Muto Construction

Best Family Entry   The Fitzgerald Family

Best Youth Entry   Charlotte and Violet Skinner

Most Patriotic Entry   Pogo Dave

Funniest Entry   Witches on the Water

Best Civic Entry   First Night Chatham

Best Business Entry   Mahi Gold

The Phillips Farm Family name will again be added to the Independence Day Parade trophy, and the other winners will each receive a plaque at the July 22nd Select Board meeting!

The committee would also like to acknowledge the following Honorable Mentions. They were outstanding but only a limited amount of awards are presented

The Chatham Squire and Squire Mobile

Northeast Portable Restrooms

The Magner Family

The Grateful Mug

WANTED: 2026 CHATHAM INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE THEME

CHATHAM, MA (January 15, 2026) – Winter blues setting in? The Chatham Independence Day Parade Committee (IDPC) has just the cure. It’s time to trade that wool beanie for a thinking cap and help shape history—Chatham style—by proposing a theme for the 2026 Chatham Independence Day Parade!

With just over six months to go, the IDPC is calling on the community to help craft a theme that captures the spirit of Chatham during a truly milestone year. 2026 marks the 250th Birthday of the United States, and while we can’t promise powdered wigs or quill pens, we can promise a parade worthy of the occasion—Chatham style.

For over a century, we’ve marched to the beat of everything from last year’s “Seasons of Chatham” to “Saluting the Stars and Stripes” to “Chatham Goes Hollywood” (spoiler alert: there were no actual movie stars). You can view most of the recent themes in a post on our website, click here!

This could be the year your idea joins that proud lineup—and becomes part of Chatham’s own parade history.

The IDPC will select the winning theme based on its relevance to Chatham, the parade, America’s Semiquincentennial, and the people who make our community special. So dust off those revolutionary ideas and submit your best red-white-and-blue theme suggestion by February 18, 2026. The winner will earn the honor of serving as one of this year’s parade judges.

The committee looks forward to your entries—and to another fabulous parade as Chatham celebrates 250 years of American independence in true hometown fashion.

How to Submit:

• Submit your theme idea at: www.chathamparade.com by February 18th
• Include a brief description explaining why your theme will make Chatham’s parade the most talked-about event since… well, last year’s parade!

About the Chatham Independence Day Parade:

The Chatham Independence Day Parade is the longest-running, small-town parade on Cape Cod, drawing crowds for over a century. Each year, our mission is simple: bring the community together, celebrate our country’s birthday, and have a whole lot of fun.

 

For more information on the 2026 Chatham Independence Day Parade please visit www.chathamparade.com

 

All suggestions must be submitted by February 18, 2026

The 2026 Parade Theme Suggestion Form is available here: Theme Suggestion Online Form

The announcement of the parade theme will be made in March. The Parade Committee looks forward to hearing from you!

The 2024 Chatham Independence Day Parade winners, as selected by parade judges Chuck Borkoski, Stuart Smith, and Yu Ying Zou, are:

Overall 1st Place   Phillips Farm Family

Overall Second Place  The Magner Family

Overall Third Place   Witches on the Water

Best Family Entry   The FitzGerald Family

Best Youth Entry   Ken Owens Memorial Soccer Jamboree

Most Patriotic Entry   Chatham Bars Inn

Funniest Entry   Chatham Municipal Airport

Best Civic Entry   Chatham Elementary School

Best Business Entry   Exit Merchandise

The Phillips Farm Family name will once again be added to the Independence Day Parade trophy, and the other winners will each receive a plaque at the July 23rd Select Board meeting.

The Chatham Independence Day Parade Committee is excited to announce that the singer of the National Anthem for the 2024 parade will be Leyla Holmes, who is a Monomoy High School student.

Our honored judges will be:

Chuck Borkoski, who suggested the theme for this year’s parade

Stuart Smith, the recently retired Chatham Harbormaster

and, following a long-standing tradition of inviting the Monomoy High School Valedictorian, we are pleased to have Yu Ying Zou as the final judge.

We are proud to announce some of the esteemed participants in the 2024 Chatham July 4th Parade: 

GRAND MARSHAL

The Grand Marshal for the 2024 parade will be Karl Fehrle. 

Karl Fehrle, a long-time Chatham resident, will be the Grand Marshal for this year’s Independence Day Parade.  Mr. Fehrle is a US military veteran of WWII and a member of the Chatham Band, where he plays saxophone and is well know for his solos on “Somewhere Over the  Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World”.  Mr. Fehrle will soon celebrate his 103rd birthday!