The big Fourth of July parade kicks of in Edgartown at 5 p.m., but the festivities got started much earlier in Oak Bluffs and Aquinnah.

At 9 a.m., kids and parents gathered at the Oak Bluffs Camp Ground to listen to The Star Spangled Banner before heading off on their bicycles and scooters for the annual children’s parade.

Longtime Camp Ground volunteer Terry McCarthy led the parade toward the Tabernacle in his blue golf cart, while kids decked out in red, white, and blue trailed close.

Gretchen Rehak began the children’s parade 29 years ago alongside her friend and neighbor Pam Rodgers.

“She and I started this 29 years ago on a rainy day on the Fourth of July when our kids were babies,” Ms. Rehak said. “We went down the street with pots and pans because we had nothing to do. Every year we say we’re not gonna do it again but then you get the joy and you get a little bit weepy when you hear God bless America.”

Even though their kids are all grown now, Ms. Rodgers said she and Ms. Rehak still love to see the community come together.

“I just love the joy that it brings to all of their families,” Ms. Rodgers said. “People get so excited and it’s something to do with their kids and their grandkids. There’s a lot of community spirit which is something we need these days.”

The community spirit was on display as people cheered from the porches of their cottages for the kids cruising by. Some children rode bikes still with training wheels and some sat in decorated strollers as their parents pushed them along the route. A few of the parade participants quickly gave up on peddling and opted to be carried by their parents instead.

Majesty, a 10 year old, said this was her fourth time participating in the parade.

“This year a lot of people were riding their bikes and only a few people were walking,” she said. “Also, there are a lot of babies in strollers.”

As soon as the parade ended, the kids ditched their rides to get ice cream, watermelon and lemonade.

Eight-year-old Vincent and his six-year-old sister Vivian said the ice cream was their favorite part of the event. They have participated in the parade for three years, but this year they upgraded from scooters to bikes. The two said they started decorating their bikes at 7 a.m. today.

The event was supported by the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Ground Association. Sherrie Saint-Amant, president of the board of directors of the MVCMA, said this year’s parade and the 250th anniversary of America made her think about the future of kids on the Island.

“It being our 250th, as we look at the past and we think of going forward to the future, the next 250 years, what does America look like? What does the Camp Ground look like as we keep up with how best to preserve this incredibly beautiful area for our kids, our grandkids and for future generations,” she said.

In Aquinnah, over 40 cars lined up on Moshup Trail starting at 10 a.m., each float eager to showcase its creative spin on the holiday.

John Floros sat atop a streamer-lined pickup truck wearing a white, founding-father style wig and a shirt that said “Floros Family July 4th 2026, Aquinnah, MA.” A giant, blow-up bald eagle loomed over the truck, and a second inflatable hung off the back, spelling out “USA 250th.”

Mr. Floros said his family has participated in the parade before but wanted to up the ante this year for America’s 250th birthday.

“This was months of preparation, and from a lot of different people too,” he said.

The process included a methodical delegation of tasks, with some family members assigned to decoration duty while others bought the wigs and customized shirts.

“It took a village,” said Mr. Floros.

For Anne Slayter, inspiration struck last minute. In past years, Ms. Slayter would decorate her truck with a pro-choice slogan. But when she read about the daredevil couple who got engaged on top of the Empire State Building this past week, she decided to try something new. Her truck bore the quote the couple displayed on a flag during their engagement: “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”

“That was a courageous act of revolutionary love,” said Ms. Slayter.

Ms. Slayter’s favorite part of the Aquinnah parade is reuniting with old friends, such as Jeffie Butler, whose float commemorated her late father Leonard P. Butler, who died in 2023. Known to Aquinnah as “The Man Who Moved the Lighthouse,” Mr. Butler led the 2015 project to move the Gay Head lighthouse and protect it from erosion.

The lighthouse move’s slogan, Keep on Shining, decorated the back of Ms. Butler’s car.

“The Fourth of July was his favorite holiday, so we do this as a tribute to him,” she said.

Even though this year was Patrick McHugh’s first time having an official float in the parade — a flag-adorned car with a purple seahorse floatie on top, affectionately dubbed the Star-Spangled Seahorse — he has been coming to the Vineyard for 30 years and was in Aquinnah for the inaugural parade in 2001.

“Everything that happens in Aquinnah is just so homegrown and charming and fun,” Mr. McHugh said. “It’s just a special place.”

At the top of Moshup Trail, Aquinnah residents gathered by the side of the road with picnic blankets, flags and parasols to watch the parade. Police sirens and honking horns were heard at 11 a.m., and a few moments later, the first of the floats proceeded up Aquinnah circle.

Ellayna Geraigery tossed blow-up American flags from the back of her pickup truck. She was squeezed in next to a family member in an inflatable Uncle Sam costume and a human-sized, inflatable American flag birthday cake.

Some gave out candy, which kids scrambled to pick up before their siblings did, while others squirted water guns at spectators, cooling them down from the hot, sunny morning.

From inside their cars, paraders sang along to classic Fourth of July hits such as Party in the USA and Take Me Home, Country Roads.

Cheers exploded when the Outermost Inn crew and the Taylor family drove by, hoisting the first-place float trophy high. Hanging off the back of their red, old-timey truck, the Outermost Inners blew bubbles at spectators and let out triumphant shouts.

After taking a victory lap, the truck parked for a group celebration. Outermost Inn employee Mike Collier spoke to the restaurant’s magical Vineyard spirit and the support of the Taylor family who owns and runs it.

“This is a family,” said Mr. Collier. “It starts from the top and it trickles down to us, to everybody, to the tables, to the customers, and everyone feels it.”

Corinne DiPietro, who helped organize the parade, said she was excited to see neighbors coming together and celebrating the holiday. She feels that even in uncertain times, the Aquinnah and larger Vineyard community is a strong one.

“We’re just doing our part to form a more perfect union,” she said.