On the Fourth of July, the parade came back to Pacific Palisades.
After the January 2025 fire forced the cancellation of the 2025 celebration, the 77th Annual Pacific Palisades Americanism Parade stepped off on July 4, 2026, under a theme that said everything: “Our Flag Was Still There.” It was the first parade since the fire, and for a community that has spent the last eighteen months rebuilding, it was more than a parade. It was proof of life.
A shorter route, an undimmed spirit
This year the parade started later than tradition—4:00 p.m.—and followed a shortened route through the heart of the Village. It made its early turn off Sunset at Carey Street, the same corner where my former Coldwell Banker office once stood, directly across from the still standing fire station. On the Fourth, it stood watch over the crowd as it always has, a quiet reminder of who held the line.
When the sun went down, the celebration continued with a drone show over the Palisades—a modern flourish on a tradition that reaches back to 1948.
The band that keeps marching
I have a soft spot for this parade. I’ve marched it twice with the Pacific Palisades Oom-Pah-Pah Band, clarinet in hand. I couldn’t make it this year, but I checked in with pride thinking of my friends as they carried the tune all the way down Carey Street. Charles Bornstein led on clarinet and David Schorr on saxophone—two of the same faces who have marched this route before, back again to march it once more.
That’s the thing about this town. The same people show up, year after year. They tune up, they line up, and they play.
And the Village comes home in August
There’s more good news on the horizon. Palisades Village—famously spared from destruction during the fire—has been closed for extensive remediation and a reported $60 million revitalization. It is set to reopen in full this August 2026, welcoming back beloved names alongside new arrivals, with Erewhon slated to return in January.
The heart of the Palisades is coming back to life: the parade in July, the Village in August. Piece by piece, the neighborhood is finding its rhythm again.
Rooted here
I’ve lived, worked, and played music in this community for years. Watching the flag go up over Sunset Boulevard—still there—is exactly why I do what I do. If you’re thinking about buying or selling in Pacific Palisades and want an agent who genuinely knows this neighborhood and believes in its future, I’d love to talk.
Greg Dahl
Dahl Realtors • greg@dahlrealtors.com