Patriotic Porch Parade 2021


We invite you to celebrate with us! Join the festivities by submitting your entries for the second Atwater “Patriotic Porch Parade”!

A virtual map showing the locations of all registered Porches will be posted so you can plan a walk, bike or drive around your neighborhood to see and share in the celebration.

During the week of July 4, Atwater Patriotic Porch Parade VIP “Porch Parade” judges will individually drive through select “Porch Parade” neighborhoods to review the best and most creative porches. Unleash your decorating creativity, bring a smile to your friends, neighbors and colleagues, show your Red, White and Blue Spirit!

Contest categories:

  • Best Home
  • Best Storefront
  • Best Neighborhood
  • And more! (See Step 4)

Porch Parade Map

Step 1 – Register!

  • Registration is FREE!
  • You will be added to our “Patriotic Porch Parade” Map.
  • The more registered Porches in your neighborhood, the better your chances are for having the Atwater Patriotic Porch Parade VIP Procession come by, so get your neighbors involved too!

Step 2 – Decorate your porch, front yard, or business!

  • Go patriotic, go inspirational or go wild with your own ideas. The point of decorating is to unleash your creativity and inspire hope for your friends and neighbors.
  • Porches must be fully decorated by 12 noon on Tuesday, June 29 and able to stay up until midnight Sunday, July 4.
  • Porches must be appropriately decorated to be family friendly audience.
  • Don’t have a porch? No problem! Feel free to decorate your lawn, the sidewalk, a window, or something else visible from the street or sidewalk.

Step 3 – Explore, Celebrate, Share!

  • Check the Porch Parade Map often to see the celebration grow!
  • Go for a walk around your neighborhood, take pictures of the porches you find, post and tag us on social media to help share the joy! #atwater4th #atwater #atwaterstrong #atwaterpatrioticporchparade
  • The more people who take part, the more celebration there is to share, so get your friends and neighbors involved!

Step 4 – Judging!

We are working on finalizing the details, but currently the following categories are our working draft for registered Resident/Business/Neighborhood locations:

  • Best Neighborhood – Best decorated neighborhood
  • Best Business – Best decorated business
  • Best Home – Best decorated home
  • Most Patriotic – Residence/Business-property showing the most patriotic spirit

There will be prizes for winners of each category!

Patriotic Porch Parade Guidelines:

  • Displays must be fully decorated by 12 noon on Tuesday, June 29 and able to stay up until Sunday, July 4.
  • Display MUST BE appropriate for a family audience.
  • Displays should not focus on religious, political campaigning, ideology, or controversial themes or issues. Use of political signs, social or political material is not permitted for this event.
  • Displays are not a place for commercial marketing. Businesses are welcomed and encouraged to participate with a focus on the mission of bringing the community together while staying home.
  • The City of Atwater reserves the right to exclude any displays that do not meet our guidelines or that feature content not aligned with our mission.
  • Registrations are limited to one per household, per location.
  • Registration for the Atwater “Patriotic Porch Parade” and/or tagging with related photos or videos on social media, grants City of Atwater permission to use your images, media and footage on any platform.