The full 4th of July parade in Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard. Firefighter vehicles, marching bands, and patriotic celebrations through this historic town.
The Edgartown Fourth of July parade is one of New England's most beloved Independence Day celebrations, a tradition dating back to 1844 during the height of the whaling era. The 2026 parade, held on the nation's 250th birthday, was the 182nd; the next one steps off Sunday, July 4, 2027.
Table of contents [Show]
Edgartown’s Fourth of July parade fills Main Street with flags and floats, the island’s biggest small-town parade.
Start time: 5:00 PM, an unusual late-afternoon start. Listen for the chimes on the Old Whaling Church clock: "When it hits the fifth one, off we go!" The parade starts at the Edgartown School parking lot, heads down Main Street, past the Edgartown Lighthouse, continues along Fuller Street and North Water Street, and loops back: a circumnavigation of downtown.
Approximately 1,500 participants march: community floats draped in red/white/blue, marching bands (Sutherland Pipe Band, Colonial Navy Band, Vineyard Haven Band), decorated fire trucks including the 1855 Lysander Button Company fire engine, classic cars, American Legion Post 186 veterans, Camp Jabberwocky with their decorated red bus (a perennial crowd favorite), children on decorated bikes, Island Alpaca, and oxen. Candy throwing is a major tradition. Children scramble to collect candy and beaded necklaces thrown from floats. (See our post on the camp.)
Begin at dusk, approximately 9:00 PM. Staged on a barge just outside Edgartown Harbor, visible overlooking the lighthouse. Best viewing: Memorial Wharf, Lighthouse Beach, from a boat (charter fireworks cruises available), or East Chop Bluff.
The island letter
Three island guides, free on arrival
The Beach Guide, The Vineyard in the Fall and Where to Stay, plus a short letter from the island when there is something worth telling.
One-click unsubscribe, and we never share your email.
Approximately 25,000 spectators line the route. Downtown parking is extremely limited. Use the Park and Ride lot near "the Triangle" with shuttle buses, or take the free VTA bus. Chairs and towels line Main Street hours before the parade, so arrive early.
For the complete town experience, see our Edgartown Town Guide (2026) and the Old Whaling Church next to the Fisher House.
Island tip of the dayTimingNo. 80 of 86New tip at midnight, island time
Lambert's Cove Beach is resident-sticker in summer (locals sometimes wave walkers in after 5 PM, but don't count on it); from mid-September it opens to everyone.
The Feast of the Holy Ghost in Oak Bluffs, held every third full weekend of July since 1928: the Queen Isabel legend behind the free soup, the Sunday parade from the ferry up Circuit Avenue, the crown blessed at Our Lady Star of the Sea, the sopas at the Portuguese-American Club, the club the rest of the year, and how a visitor should behave at the island's Portuguese feast.
Martha's Vineyard from Thanksgiving week 2026 to the end of March 2027, month by month: which restaurants serve Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, the Felix Neck Fall Festival and Light Up Oak Bluffs, Christmas in Edgartown, the exact February closure windows of the year-round restaurants, the winter ferry timetable, the 20 Miler and the Film Festival, weather averages and winter hotel rates.
The Hallmark Martha's Vineyard Mysteries are not filmed on Martha's Vineyard: Victoria, British Columbia plays the island on screen. But the books behind the movies are pure Vineyard, and the real places are better than the set.
Dates, the lighthouse lighting, the Main Street parade, winter ferries and who is open: a fact-checked local guide to the island's biggest December weekend (Dec 10-13, 2026).
On August 19, 1991, Hurricane Bob hit Martha's Vineyard at the height of the season: 98 mph winds, 84 boats wrecked in Edgartown Harbor alone, a sloop in the Harborside Inn pool, and a false autumn by Labor Day. The story of the storm, told through an original Vineyard Gazette storm edition we found in an island thrift shop.
Fall 2026 on Martha's Vineyard: the September 10 and October 12 deadlines, beaches that open to everyone September 16, the Derby, scalloping by town, foliage timing and honest closing dates.
The free island library · 2026
Beach reports, events worth a day, ferry heads-ups. Sent when there is something worth telling. The Beach Guide, The Vineyard in the Fall and Where to Stay arrive with your welcome email.
Get the free guides
Island prices, hours and details change often. Please verify with businesses before you go. Full disclaimer
The island right now
9:18 AMisland time
Next show
Next show · The Rock and Roll Rick Double Hour with Rock and Roll Rick · Wed 5:00 PM
Happening now
MV International Film Festival · Vineyard Haven · happening now · 1 exhibition ongoing
Sun
Sunrise 6:16 AM · sunset 7:01 PM
Water and tide
Water 72°F · High tide 10:46 AM
Weather now
72°F, overcast · wind 8 mph S
Three free downloads · 2026
The island guides, in your inbox
The Beach Guide, The Vineyard in the Fall and Where to Stay. No spam, one-click unsubscribe.
