View all of our photos from the 237th Bristol 4th of July Celebration here.

Like a scene ripped straight from the reel of a patriotic movie, multiple tens of thousands of people packed into downtown Bristol on Monday morning to witness the 237th 4th of July Celebration, and were rewarded with weather and an atmosphere that was described by organizers as better than ideal.

“Overall I think it went really well,” said a relieved Camille Teixeira, 4th of July Parade Chairman. “The excitement and the crowd, the energy was just tremendous. I think people were just happy to have a real parade back and to be out celebrating our independence at the oldest celebration in the nation. The excitement was just there, you could see it in their faces.”

The event also went off without a noticeable hitch, and according to Major Brian Burke of the Bristol Police Department, only two people were arrested throughout the entire event for disorderly conduct. Fire Chief Michael DeMello likewise said the parade was “fairly quiet” from an emergency response perspective. “Mostly some EMS runs but nothing of any significance,” he reported.

In the celebration’s second year return since the 2020 pandemic rocked this storied tradition — though it did go on in a very subdued and altered form that year, too — attendees were treated to over a dozen bands from civilian, military and professional groups, including those from as far away as Minnesota. They witnessed acrobatic break dancing, antique vehicles from centuries past, and a long line of active duty military members and veterans of past wars.

The combination of patriotism and celebration of the nation’s enduring freedom — embodied by this event and the multitude of events leading up to it, which are free for all to attend — is enough to bring about strong emotions for some.

“When you’re at the top of Hope and Chestnut Street and the National Anthem is being sung and everyone is saluting — the police, the military, the veterans — it brings you such pride that we all come together on this one day to celebrate as a great nation, that this is who we are and what we are,” said Teixeira, choking up on the phone. “This world has so much uncertainty right now, so I hope we could bring at least one day of joy to people and have them know what America stands for, so we can be united. This is our independence.”

Chuck MacDonough, Bristol Fourth of July Committee General Chairman (and 2021’s Parade Chairman), noted how planning the event is a year-long event, and how it always seems to go by so fast.

“Kind of like a wedding, right? You spend all your time planning and plotting a wedding and it goes by really really quick,” he said. “We’re all very proud of what we do. Everyone has their own little motivation, but experiencing the patriotism, the freedom and expressing our the appreciation towards our military and first responders, I think it’s important we show our respect and our thankfulness.”

Although there is no surefire way to accurately predict the number of people who actually attended the parade, MacDonough said such an estimate is besides the point.

“It’s not really about how many, it’s about the smiles on everyone’s faces and the little kids that saw the parade,” he said. “I think that tells the story that we’re all appreciative of our freedom here in the United States, and it’s important that we celebrate together every year.”

Parade Grand Marshal Joe DaPonte said on Wednesday morning that he was grateful to have been able to be a part of the experience, and that he and his wife, Rosa, fellow Grand Marshal, will never forget it.

“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “It’s amazing and they have such a great committee. It’s just wonderful. We learned a lot and met a lot of new people…My wife and I were talking last night and we’re going to miss all these people and all this action. It’s a lot of work but when you do it from your heart, nothing is impossible. We had a great time. I hope everybody enjoyed how we did and how we presented ourselves.”