This is just in.
The City of Washington D.C. has announced it has cancelled its annual Independence Day parade.
The move by the parade’s organizers comes as the nation’s capital has been in the midst of a heat wave that has sent temperatures soaring over 100 degrees.
WUSA9 had the full scoop:
Organizers canceled DC’s National Independence Day Parade late Friday night over concerns about extreme heat.
“This decision was made after extensive and careful consideration of the safety of our participants, spectators, and staff as the top priority,” organizers said.
The parade was scheduled for the Fourth of July at 10:30 a.m. along Independence Avenue Southwest, between 3rd and 12th Streets, according to the National Park Service.
The temperature at 10 a.m. on Saturday will be around 93 with a heat index around 100, according to WUSA9 Meteorologist Kaitlyn McGrath.
There will be no alternate time for the parade, according to its website.
The mile-long parade has historically taken place on Independence Day and included bands, drum corps, giant balloons, national dignitaries and celebrity participants.
D.C. isn’t the only city to cancel its parade.
NBC 10 reported Philadelphia has also cancelled its Independence Day parade:
Due to the dangerous heat that hit the Philadelphia region on Friday, the Wawa Welcome America Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade was canceled.
The change was made overnight after organizers announced on Thursday that the parade would start an hour earlier than planned.
ADVERTISEMENTBut now, that has changed completely and there will be no parade at all.
“It was incredibly disappointing to get that news but we understand that with the heat conditions safety comes first,” Robert Buckman with Montrose High School Alumni Band said.
However, on Friday morning, officials said that the floats that would have been included in the parade — just the floats without any participants or bands — would move along Market Street. SkyForce10 was over the scene shortly before 11 a.m. as the floats made their way through Center City.
The city of Philadelphia however still continued its July 3rd drone show which unfortunately featured a pride flag:
Philadelphia kicked off the historic United States Semiquincentennial (America 250) celebrations with the breathtaking "Independence Illumination" drone show directly outside Independence Hall. pic.twitter.com/xt6PybrbDQ
— MEAWW News (@meawwcom) July 4, 2026
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