Every Fourth of July, a village of a few thousand swells to a crowd of more than ten thousand. That is the magic of the Cotuit parade.

A Village Classic Since 1976

Organized each year by the Cotuit-Santuit Civic Association, the parade has run since 1976 and is widely called the best on Cape Cod. It is a small-town American classic in its purest form: no admission, no grandstand, just a village turning out for itself.

The Procession

A Town of Barnstable police motorcycle escort leads the way, followed by a long stream of antique cars, marching bands, and candy-tossing floats. Nearly every institution in the village joins in full regalia — the Cotuit Library, the Historical Society of Cotuit and Santuit, the Federated Church, the Mosquito Yacht Club, the Cahoon Museum, the Cotuit Center for the Arts, the Fire Department, and the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

The Rear Guard

Bringing it all home is the part everyone waits for: the village children, navigating the crowd on bicycles festooned in patriotic finery. Along the way, Civic Association board members hand out limited-edition ribbons that have become genuine collectors' items.

The parade steps off at 11 a.m. near the post office. Confirm the route and timing with the Civic Association before heading out — but if you want to see a New England village be exactly itself, this is where to stand.

Sources: Cotuit-Santuit Civic Association; Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.