Scenes from the Solstice Parade

Thousands of people jammed the streets of Fremont at noon today to celebrate the beginning of summer with the annual Solstice Parade.

As is tradition, beads-o-plenty were tossed into the crowd.

The beautifully-designed floats and costumes took on a summer Mardi Gras theme (and in many cases, political themes.)

The parade seems to attract a larger and larger crowd every year. There were so many people — and many had staked out positions hours ahead of time — it was just about impossible to squeeze from the street to the sidewalk.

Even J.P Patches made an appearance. And what about the parade’s most famous participants: the naked, painted cyclists? Click through for a few more photos (and My Ballard reader Nina shot many more on on Flickr here)…