The region’s largest parade begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 4. The parade will progress from Golden Peak on Vail Valley Drive, then go west to Hanson Ranch Road, north on Bridge Street, west on Gore Creek Drive, north across the International Bridge, west along Meadow Drive and finally head through the Lionshead Mall to finish at approximately noon.

The theme for the 2025 Vail parade is “Local Motion.” The parade will feature community-organized floats, marching bands and performances including the Colorado State University Select Marching Band and Brothers of Brass from Denver, as well as the Vail Precision Lawn Chair Demonstration Team.

For a good view of the parade, arrive by 9:30 a.m. and pick a location along the parade route. To help reduce congestion, spectators are encouraged to ride their bikes or take the bus to the parade. Also, consider leaving your dog at home where it will be safe from the crowds and loud noises that could be startling.

Be sure to bring a reusable water bottle and stay hydrated during the parade. Water-refill stations are located in the Vail Village and Lionshead Welcome Centers, open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Watch the parade live on High Five Access Media Channel 5 or via livestream at highfivemedia.org. Or find it on Roku and Apple TV beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Enjoy these lively experiences throughout the day in Vail and Lionshead villages on July 4.

Vail Village Stage
Intersection of Meadow Drive/Willow Bridge Road

• 10 a.m. | Vail America Days Parade start
• 12:30 - 1:45 p.m. | The Fabulous Femmes
• 2:15 - 3:30 p.m. | Bourbon Brass Band

Lionshead Stage
Located at the entrance to Lionshead Mall

• 10 - 11 a.m. | Skin the Rabbit
• 12:30 - 1:45 p.m. | Guerilla Fanfare Brass Band
• 2 - 3:30 p.m. | Skin the Rabbit

Ford Park

• Noon - 2 p.m. | Black Hawk Landing and Display from the High-Altitude ARNG Aviation Training Site (HAATS)

• 2 p.m. | Patriotic Concert, Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater

Vail’s popular fireworks show is back for 2025, conditions permitting. The approximately 20-minute show starts at 9:45 p.m. and will be launched from Vail Mountain. Fireworks will be visible across town with a patriotic soundtrack available on KZYR, FM 97.7 and via www.kzyr.com. Check out the viewing area map at www.discovervail.com/4th. Note, it is illegal to shoot off personal fireworks in Vail.

The area in yellow shows an approximation of places to view the fireworks.

Over the past several years, the Town of Vail Police Department has seen an increase in unaccompanied minors and younger adults attending the Town of Vail’s Fourth of July celebrations. This has coincided with an increase in underage drinking, underage consumption of marijuana, disorderly conduct, property damage, and other offenses that directly relate to the gathering of large numbers of young adults.

In response to the ongoing issues, the Vail Police Department will staff additional officers and adopt a zero-tolerance policy as it relates to these offenses. In addition, a curfew will be in effect from 10:30 pm on July 4 to 5 a.m. on July 5. No one under the age of 18 will be allowed in public without a parent or legal guardian, with limited exceptions. View Title 6, Chapter 5, Section 2 of the Vail Town Code.

Public Parking

The Vail Village and Lionshead parking structures offer 2,500 spaces that will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis and typically reach capacity prior to the 10 a.m. start of the parade. The daily rate is one hour free, then $2/hour with a max fee of $10.

Once the two structures fill, additional parking will be released. Message boards will direct motorists to overflow parking available until 11 p.m. Vehicles parked in the Vail Village and Lionshead garages between 4 and 5 a.m. will be charged the overnight fee of $60.

Parade-goers are also encouraged to utilize other available parking in the Red Sandstone garage located at 559 N. Frontage Road, with easy access to Lionshead Village via the pedestrian overpass. This is actually a very short and convenient walk. The daily rate is one hour free, then $2/hour with a max fee of $10.

Close-in parking at the Ford Park and Vail Athletic Fields lots will be available on a first-come, first-served basis from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the same daily rates. Call 970-479-2445 or visit https://discovervail.com/parking-in-vail/ for additional parking information.

Road Closures

For the safety and security for participants and spectators of the Vail America Days parade, the following road closures will be put in place:

• Most streets in Vail Village will be closed at 8:30 a.m. including access to all properties within the village core. The closures will remain in place until at least 1 p.m. or whenever it is safe to open streets to vehicle access.
• West Meadow Drive will be closed from 10 a.m. to noon from Vail Road to Lionshead. There will be no access in or out of any properties in this area.
• Access to all Vail Health facilities will be from the South Frontage Road from 10 a.m. to noon.
• Vail Valley Drive will be closed in both directions from Gore Creek Drive to Mill Creek Circle from 9:50 to 10:30 a.m.

Note there will be no static viewing of the parade allowed along the construction fence in front of Dobson Arena. Pedestrians may walk on the south side of the road but may not stop and or spectate in that area.

Dismount Zones

To improve interactions between pedestrians and users of wheeled vehicles, Vail’s summer dismount zones have been reimplemented in limited areas of Vail Village and Lionshead Village. Watch for the "Walk Your Wheels" signs designating the dismount zones. For areas outside the dismount zones, bikers and users of other wheeled vehicles are reminded that pedestrians always have the right of way and to use moderate speeds in pedestrian areas, 5 mph or less. When passing a slower party, politely alert the other party by calling out and/or ringing a bicycle bell and passing on the left.