Alternating between John Philip Sousa marches and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” the rainbow-plumed musicians of the San Francisco Pride Band kicked off the city’s second annual Fourth of July parade early Friday afternoon at Sunset Dunes.
A bounce house, row upon row of e-bikes, and stroller dogs in red-white-and-blue bunting took over the former Great Highway as a crowd of hundreds gathered to celebrate the nation’s birthday in a decidedly San Francisco fashion. Behind the marching band were three Asian senior dance troupes, with a fire engine from the neighborhood station bringing up the rear.
The weather was downright pleasant for an early summer day at Ocean Bach. Even the breeze was light. Decked out in American flag colors, Jon Hamston and his family came from Fresno to escape the Central Valley heat. “I think we have about a 40-degree swing,” he said. “I’ll take it.”
As parades go, it fell on the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it side, spanning only the five blocks of Sunset Dunes between Noriega and Judah streets. But the atmosphere was joyful, blurring the boundary between spectators and participants. Visual reminders of the country’s divisions were muted, although Sunset resident Rachel Cowan held a sign with a quote from President John F. Kennedy about how immigrants strengthen the nation’s fabric.
“We have immigrants in our family that have enriched our lives so tremendously,” she said. “Today of all days seemed like the time to show support.”
Supervisor Joel Engardio, the embattled politico who led the controversial 2024 ballot measure that created Sunset Dunes, struck an overtly political note. Calling the new park transformational for the city, he described it as “the perfect place for a Fourth of July parade, now more than ever.”
State Sen. Scott Wiener continued the theme. Wishing America a happy 249th birthday, he expressed hope that democracy would still exist for its 250th. Referring to the billions of dollars that President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill allocated to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Wiener added, “There’s a lot of talk about making America great, but not having masked police officers makes America great.”
In spite of it all, most parade-goers found Independence Day worth celebrating — and not just the free slices of apple pie.
Along with her dogs Charlie and Frofro, Elizabeth Yan showed up wearing head-to-toe flag colors. A neighborhood resident, she said that she was born in China. What did she love most about the Fourth of July?
Freedom, she said. “I come from somewhere else, and I didn’t have that. So it means a lot to me.”
