Falun Dafa Divine Marching Band and Drummers march on July 4 at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times)
More than quarter of a million spectators was expected to view the parade of more than 3,000 performers, dancers, cultural organizations, balloons, floats, and the military, according to the press release.
As the parade reached 12th Street at around noon, many children and some adults moved closer into the street to get a closer look at the performers, as thousands of people cheered. Police came around from time to time politely asking viewers to get back to the sidewalks and parents to keep a watchful eye on their children.
The parade was led by members from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces in uniform.
They were soon followed by Benton High School’s marching band from Arkansas. The high school has a student enrollment of 3,093 and their class of 2009 was awarded over $8 million in scholarship from colleges, community members, the military and others, according to their website.
Seven other high school marching bands followed between various other performances throughout the parade.
Cultural organizations representing Vietnamese American Community, Taiwanese American National Parade Group, Falun Dafa Divine Marching Band and Drummers, and many others marched in the parade.
One of the largest groups in the parade was Falun Dafa with around 100 members of the band wearing blue and white uniforms and around 50 others wearing the group’s signature yellow – many of them smiled and waved to the crowd.
One of the most energetic and lively cultural performances was by the male and female dances of the Caporales San Simon. With loud music and very energetic dances, these performers excited and captivated the viewers along the street.
Roughly 40 members of the Freemasons of Washington, D.C. marched in the parade wearing a uniform of sharp contrast of black and white: white hat, white long sleeve shirt, and black pants.
Around half dozen floats and various giant helium filled balloons, with more than a dozen people pulling them, were interspersed between performances throughout the parade.
This year’s parade was directed by the National Park Service and Diversified Events, LLC.
Spectators cheer on July 4 at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times)
Dancers of the Caporales San Simon perform on July 4 at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. (Ximing Xiong/The Epoch Times)
Members of the U.S. Armed Forces march on July 4 at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. (Du Won Kang/The Epoch Times)
Dancers perform on July 4 at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. (Du Won Kang/The Epoch Times)
Falun Dafa practitioners march on July 4 at the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. (Ximing Xiong/The Epoch Times)
