For more than eighty years, Grand Rapids has been home to the state’s oldest Fourth of July parade: the
Hollyhock Lane Parade located on the edge of Grand Rapids’ Ottawa Hills neighborhood.
What started as an unsanctioned bike parade for kids in 1934 that was actually shut down their first year for not pulling a permit has become one of the most beloved neighborhood events in the city.
Created as a little-to-no cost event birthed during the Great Depression, this annual parade attracts not only politicians seeking office. It is also most importantly an event where neighborhood kids will adorn their bikes with flags and wear patriotic attire to create what can best be described as a living Norman Rockwell painting brought to life.
After the parade ends, neighbors gather on Hollyhock Lane (an alley behind Giddings) for a lively and festive program of stump speeches, patriotic readings and a prize ceremony for the best costumes and kids floats.
Arrive early to get prime seating along the parade route. Some of the best views are on Calvin near Franklin where you can watch the massive parade as it climbs up the wooded streets of this neighborhood.