The Rose White and Blue Parade
is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization

​Address:
1100 Shasta Ave.
San Jose, CA 95126

Phone number:
(408) 471-7981

Website URL:
www.rwbsj.org

Email address:
info@rwbsj.org

Event Name:
Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade

Mission
“To build a historic community parade that brings together the residents, businesses and organizations who take pride in the Alameda Neighborhood Business District and in the neighborhoods that surround The Alameda.”

Parade Route:
Begins at Lincoln High School parking lot on Dana Ave. and ends on The Alameda and Lenzen.

Picnic Location:
On The Alameda between Hanchett Avenue and Shasta Avenue

Event Date:
July 4, 2019

For Photos of Previous Years’ Parades and Historic Photos visit our Facebook page here

The Official Rose White and Blue Logo

History
The Rose, White and Blue Parade is presenting the Twelfth Annual Rose, White and Blue 4th of July Parade (R,W&B Parade). Inspired by historic parades on The Alameda (such as the “Rose Carnival” beginning in 1896 and the “Fiesta de Las Roses” in the 20’s and 30’s), the R,W&B Parade was chosen as an appropriate event to celebrate our neighborhood, our city, and our country. The Parade seeks to build on the historic roots of the area and replicate the fun and excitement of an old fashioned 4th of July parade. The Rose White and Blue 4th of July Parade and Festival was conceived by The ABA to showcase The Alameda as a lively business district, a historic neighborhood destination, and a vehicle to incorporate the residents of the area into a celebration encompassing all walks of life. We believe our parade and festival is the ideal forum for promoting culture in San Jose. We use our parade as a platform to allow cultural groups in San Jose to exhibit their skills by performing in the Parade and allowing them to raise money for their organizations.

The Parade
The Parade begins at a staging area Lincoln High School at 555 Dana Ave. and winds 1.6 miles through the charming and historic streets of the Rose Garden and Shasta/Hanchett Neighborhoods, ending at our festival area located on The Alameda near Shasta Avenue. Schools, marching bands, dance groups, antique auto clubs, high wheel bicyclists, fire trucks, service organizations, equestrians, color guards, pets and their owners are all invited to participate in the Parade. With participation from RGPNA, S/HPNA, College Park Neighborhood Association, Westminster Presbyterian Church, the Capernaum Club for handicapped teens and over 500 local children, our parade has become a tradition. Our parade is paced with bagpipes that both lead and announce (loudly) the parade.

In 2010, Steve “The Woz” Wozniak was honored as our parade Grand Marshall and in 2011, Dan Rusanosky and “Sharkie” of the San Jose Sharks served as our Co-Grand Marshals. In 2012, ABC Channel 7 News anchor Dan Ashley led our parade and brought his band “Push” to play at the Festival after the Parade. In 2013, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and ballerina Karen Gabay served as Co-Grand Marshals. In 2014, 96 Year old WWII Veteran Joe Bell waved to the crowds and received a standing ovation throughout the parade route. We were honored to have legendary San Jose State University cheerleader Krazy George and respected judo coach Yosh Uchida as our Co-Grand Marshals in 2015. In 2016, we celebrated the theme of “Bicycling on The Alameda” and welcomed Olympic medalist Beth Heiden as our Grand Marshal. Last year we recognized a local pioneer, Supervisor Dave Cortese. In 2018 Tim Ritchie, President and CEO of The Tech Museum of Innovation was our honored as the Grand Marshal celebrating “Technology in the Valley.” Hopefully we will be announcing our 2019 Grand Marshal soon!
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Local dignitaries, dance groups, Boy and Girl Scouts, military units, antique car clubs and floats were featured in last year’s parade. We will continue our float-making competition this year, with cash prizes offered to the top three entrants. At the staging area, we provide patriotic red, white and blue decorations for the kids to decorate their bikes and wagons. Last year 500 kids and their parents showed up to decorate and be in the parade. The parade continues to be subject of conversation and continued excitement in our community. Everyone is looking forward to this year’s edition. The Parade will begin at 10 a.m. and is expected to conclude at 11:30 – noon.

The Festival
After the RW&B Parade, please join us for a fun afternoon of food, music and relaxation on The Alameda. Local restaurants on The Alameda will be serving special 4th of July fare to go. Where to go? Relax under the shade of the trees on The Alameda and listen to music provided by local entertainers. We will have a variety of interesting artisan booths set up along The Alameda for your viewing pleasure. The festival goes on until 3 p.m.

Vision
We believe that we can build upon our success during the last eight years and develop an increasingly popular event that allows San Jose residents to spend their 4th of July here in San Jose. Currently, we are the only daytime event on the 4th of July that caters to families and children in our city. Residents previously had to leave San Jose to enjoy a traditional 4th of July Parade. The demand for a 4th of July parade is so great here that we have begun to re-establish a San Jose tradition that has gone dormant for so many years. The original Fiesta de Las Rosas Parade travelled down The Alameda and attracted as many as 250,000 onlookers. In 2017 our attendance grew to 30,000 spectators, and we expect as many as 35,000 this year.  ​We also intend to keep the “hometown” quality and feel to our parade where kids, pets, homemade floats, and fun are an essential part of this event. Last year there were 115 entries in our parade.