The Pacific Palisades community celebrated the return of its annual Fourth of July parade on Saturday, July 4.
Eighteen months after the Palisades fire killed 12 people and destroyed nearly 7,000 structures, community groups and school marching bands once again marched through the neighborhood and were met with cheers and applause from community members returning to a cherished Palisades tradition.
The theme of the 77th edition of the parade was “Our Flag Was Still There,” inspired by the American flags that stood throughout Pacific Palisades right after the catastrophic Jan. 7, 2025, fire.
Marchers began outside Palisades Charter Elementary School and made their way down Via De La Paz before turning right onto Sunset Boulevard and being met with a thunderous response from community members.
The parade was adjacent to the ruins of burned structures and frames of former buildings that once made up the Palisades.
“It’s just bringing back so many memories of people that are no longer with us that we used to always come up to the parade with, and we’d be right on the street, and we’re just having a flashback to those good days,” said Sue Schmidt, a 53-year Palisades resident who lost her home in the fire.
“We’re heading upwards. I think we hit the valley and now we’re heading back up.” – Robert Weber
Schmidt said the Fourth of July was an annual family experience, where she would spend the whole day with her two daughters, starting with the Will Rogers 5K/10K run in the morning and then attending the parade.
The parade was organized by the Palisades Americanism Parade Association. The tradition highlights the small-town feel of Pacific Palisades, said PAPA advisor Robert Weber.
“We’re still struggling with a lot from what you can see, but to see so many familiar faces that I haven’t seen in a year or more, it’s really lovely,” he said. “And you see people walking up and saying hello who we haven’t seen for a long time.”
Weber said he believes the parade will grow and grow in the years to come, serving as a benchmark to see how many families have been able to rebuild each year since the fire.
“We’re heading upwards. I think we hit the valley and now we’re heading back up,” he added.
The Palisades Charter High School Fourth of July band led the pack followed by a range of local organizations, including the American Legion Ronald Reagan Palisades Post 283, Girl Scout troops 9706 and 9245, the Palisades Recovery Coalition, the Pacific Palisades Community Council and other local churches and groups.
“I miss the town spirit,” said Elise Fleming, who grew up in the Palisades and lost her home in the fire. “Every few times you went out, you would run into someone you know, and then you’d have a really nice catch-up, and I love that everyone here is so friendly, and I just miss going outside and having that support from strangers.”
Bringing the community together again while many fire survivors are spread out across Los Angeles County served as a reminder of the hope of coming back to the Palisades, said Pacific Palisades Community Council President Allison Holdorff.
“Seeing all the participants in the parade and all the spectators back in the Palisades was an absolutely inspirational day and event for so many Palisadians,” Holdorff said. “Countless people came up to me and said that this is giving them hope to come back.”
“I definitely want to come back,” said Deidre Wilson, who was displaced after the fire due to smoke damage in her apartment. “I’m happy to see the houses going up and businesses back, and I come up here to support the businesses – I go to Spruzzo’s, the dry cleaner here, I go to CVS because I want to keep it going, keep it alive.”
The parade was ultimately a reminder of what makes the Palisades special and what people are rebuilding toward, Schmidt said.
“A lot of people would say early on, and maybe even now, that the Palisades will never be the same,” Schmidt said. “And I say that’s true. In many ways, it won’t, but you can’t take away the mountains and the ocean.”
Sam Mulick is a correspondent with the Southern California News Group.