77th Annual Watts-Hillandale Fourth of July parade and Celebration in Durham

Date: Sat, Jul 4, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM

Venue: Various Locations in Durham, Durham

Price:

Category: Community

The 77th Annual Watts-Hillandale Fourth of July parade and Celebration will take place Saturday, July 4th, 2026, at 10 a.m., at Oval Drive Park, 2200 W. Club Boulevard, Durham. This is Durham's oldest Fourth of July celebration. Learn about other 4th of July celebrations in the Triangle. The following information is provided by by the Watts Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhood Association: It‘s the oldest public Independence Day celebration in Durham. It’s the Watts Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhood July 4 Parade and Celebration. What began as a neighborhood affair has become an event for the whole Durham community. Hundreds turn out from the neighborhood, from all over town, and from all around the country. Everyone is welcome! Preparations begin at around 8 on the morning of the Fourth. To many, this is the best part. Volunteers gather in Oval Park. They festoon the playground with hundreds of U.S. flags and flags from every state and nation. Teams rush from tree to tree with ladders and clothesline to get the flags up in time for the parade. The result is magnificent. Some of the flags are whoppers – as long as 18 feet! Some of them are real heirlooms. One giant antique has 45 stars, the number of states in the union when the Watts-Hillandale neighborhood was founded in 1908. Another has a giant “V” for victory at the end World War II. Yet another served as pall for a soldier killed during the First World War. By 9:50, deputies from the Sheriff’s office have arrived.