Fourth of July Parade and Celebrations

Chairs along Old Mammoth Road

On the morning of July 4, spectators in Mammoth Lakes set up camp chairs along Old Mammoth Road and Main Street. At 11 o’clock the Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce parade starts at the intersection of Chateau Road and Old Mammoth Road, which the Chamber’s 2024 listing placed by Salsa’s Taqueria. It turns onto Main Street and ends at the corner of Manzanita Road, by A-Frame Fine Wines & Spirits. The Chamber says the parade wraps up around 12:30. The Mono County tourism listing gives 1:00.

The parade brings music, entertainment, and floats sponsored by local businesses and organizations. The Mammoth Times lists the entries as decorated trucks, golf carts, wagons, trailers, and full-scale floats. The same paper notes that spectators are often cheering for “their coworkers, neighbors, friends, family members, favorite local businesses, or organizations they support.” Over the years, by the Times account, water balloons and squirt guns became part of the tradition. The Chamber’s Clap, Don’t Splash campaign asks spectators to leave them at home and cheer instead.

The town closes its streets around the route. In 2026 Main Street closed at 9 a.m., an hour earlier than in previous years, from Old Mammoth Road to Minaret Road at The Village. Old Mammoth Road closed at 10. Travel between the east and west sides of town went by the Scenic Loop until the parade had passed. Visit Mammoth recommends walking, biking, or public transportation to reach the route. In 2024 Mammoth Disposal set up six Responsible Waste Zones along the way, with restrooms, trash, and recycling.

Breakfast burritos and a one-mile run

The day starts earlier than the parade. From 7:00 the Lions Club serves its annual breakfast in the Mammoth Mall parking lot. The Chamber’s 2024 listing sent visitors there for pancakes. By 2026 the town’s newsletter reported the club “now serving breakfast burritos,” with a new hospitality bar of Bloody Marys, screwdrivers, mimosas, and canned beer open until 1:00. Visit Mammoth warns that the lot gets very sunny later in the morning. The club also collects used eyeglasses there.

At 10:30, half an hour before the floats, the Footloose Freedom Mile goes off from the Snowcreek Resort driving range. Runners follow the parade route down Old Mammoth Road to Footloose Sports on the corner of Main Street. In 2026 the town expected a record number of runners. Through the holiday weekend, the Footloose Sports parking lot also holds Mammoth Lakes Arts on the 4th. More than 50 local and regional artists sell jewelry, log furniture, handmade clothing, photography, stained glass, pottery, garden metalwork, paintings, and bath products, with beer, cocktails, and food on hand. The fair is the largest fundraiser for Mammoth Lakes Recreation.

After the parade, the Eastern Sierra Pops Orchestra and Chamber Music Unbound play a free concert of patriotic, movie, and Broadway tunes at Mammoth Creek Park, starting at 1:30. Up at The Village at Mammoth, celebrations begin on July 2. The program includes a Chihuahua race at 3:00, DJ FreshTracks at 5:30, Dead Winter Carpenters at 6:30, and fireworks at 9:00.

Fireworks at Crowley Lake

The town’s main fireworks show is held at Crowley Lake to minimize fire risk. Live music plays from 6 to 8 p.m., and the show begins at 9:15. Cars, RVs, and trucks pay by the vehicle. Those who walk or bike in pay by the person, and children 12 and under are free. The soundtrack plays on KMMT at 106.5 or 104.9 FM. Accounts of the show differ by source. Visit Mammoth’s guide describes a 20-minute show of more than 700 fireworks. The town’s June 19, 2026 newsletter announced a custom “Sky Concert” with 250 more effects than the year before and over 960 aerial shells across 17 minutes.

The spring of 2020

On April 28, 2020, the Town of Mammoth Lakes and the Chamber cancelled the holiday. They cited uncertainty over when the Governor’s Stay At Home Order would lift and the state’s mitigation measures for special events. The list included the parade, the Footloose Freedom Mile, POPS in the Park, Independence Days at the Hayden Cabin, Mono Arts Council: Mammoth Celebrates the Arts, and the Crowley Lake fireworks.

“You may say we have a bit of a cease fire, but the war is not over,” said Mono County Health Officer Dr. Boo. John Urdi, executive director of Mammoth Lakes Tourism, said the festivities “are always a favorite for tens of thousands of our loyal Mammoth Lakes’ visitors.” Parks and Recreation Director Stuart Brown called the fireworks “this generational event.” He promised the next year would be bigger, thanks to the show’s partners: the Crowley Lake Fish Camp, L.D.C., Mono County Community Services Area 1, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and Pyro Spectaculars by Souza.

A riderless horse and ten amendments

The 2024 parade, themed “Movies in the Mountains,” had 40 floats. The Chamber had chosen the Tanner Family as grand marshals. Bobby Tanner, second-generation owner of Red’s Meadow Resort and Pack Station and of Rock Creek Lodge, died just days before the parade. The parade opened with a tribute to him. His widow, Claudia, rode her horse, and their son, Bo, led a Riderless Horse. Behind them came the sponsor’s float from the Mammoth Film Festival: old-style wagons led by an LED truck playing clips from “Horizon: An American Saga.” The festival gave away more than 1,500 “Scene It” board games. Five judges stationed along the route scored the floats: three from Chamber member businesses, one community member, and one second-home owner. They gave first place to Noodle-Ly and its Kung-Fu Panda float.

The 2026 parade fell on a Saturday and marked the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Its theme was “Make It Mammoth. Go the Extra Mile.” The second half came from the grand marshal, Deena Kastor, an Olympic medalist and longtime Mammoth Lakes resident. The Mammoth Times called her “one of the most accomplished distance runners in American history.” Days before the parade, the Times counted a record 56 floats. Sierra Wave’s report afterward put the record at 57.

For the first time, the float competition paid second and third place. The Mammoth Music Department won with a band playing live from the back of a truck and trailer. The Mono County and Inyo County Dems placed second with “We the People.” Walkers on that float carried sandwich boards showing the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The Mammoth High School Cheerleaders and Youth Cheer Clinic took third. “While thousands enjoyed the celebration, months of planning were taking place behind the scenes by our Chamber team,” said Brianna Goico, the Chamber’s president and CEO. A month after the parade, Goico and the team from High Country Lumber, the employee-owned sponsor, handed the three winners their checks: $500, $200, and $100.