What is the Downtown Ames Fourth of July Parade? The Fourth of July Parade is one of the largest events of the summer and a community favorite! Don your red, white, and blue, and help us celebrate Independence Day at this family-friendly event! The parade will begin at 11:00am.
Is there a theme for the parade? Yes, there is! The 2026 Parade theme is: “Happy Birthday, America!” Celebrate the nation’s birthday with red, white, and blue decorations, festive floats, and all-American fun for the whole family.
Need some inspiration? Here is what participants did last year: https://amesalliance.com/news/2025-photo-galleries/
What time is the event? The parade runs from 11:00am-1:00pm. We start staging at 9:00am and attendees line up in Downtown early!
What else happens during the parade? Food trucks are located on Burnett from Main St to 5th. A full list will be listed at downtownames.org.
How can I help promote the event?
You can download social media files to create your own coordinating assets for the event here:
We encourage you to share the event on your own social media channels and website.
In addition, we strongly encourage businesses to
like, comment, and share event posts from the Downtown Ames Facebook page. Last year alone, the Downtown Ames Facebook page reached
1.9 million views. When your business engages with these posts, it boosts the post’s visibility in Facebook’s algorithm which helps the event reach more people
and increase exposure for your business at the same time. Your engagement helps keep your business name in front of a highly engaged, local audience and can lead to increased awareness and foot traffic.
