Clad in red, white, and blue, thousands of patriotic cyclists gathered in Huntington Beach to celebrate the Fourth of July on the morning of July 1, many waving American flags and some even balancing their large pets from handlebar baskets while cruising through the city.

“When I started this ride four years ago, 1,000 people showed up … twice as many than we were expecting,” organizer of the 4th Annual 4th of July Bicycle Cruise Ed Romo told The Epoch Times. “Last year we must have had about 15,000.”

Shortly before takeoff, participants sang the Star-Spangled Banner before pedaling toward the beach.

“We’ve seen a lot of great bike decorations over the years,” Romo added.

Leading the way were Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen (R-Huntington Beach) and city officials including Mayor Tony Strickland, Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, Councilman Casey McKeon, and Councilman Pat Burns, on an elevated truck.

“Have fun, be safe, and God bless America!” they exclaimed.

The cruise is part of what city officials said to be “the largest Independence Day Celebration west of the Mississippi,” with an estimate of half a million attendees over five days of events from June 30 to July 4.

Huntington Beach held its first Independence Day celebration 119 years ago and has since been expanding its scale.

“Every year we look to make the festivities bigger and better than ever—last year with the introduction of the July 4th Block Party and this year with the new Cornhole Tournament.” Huntington Beach spokeswoman Jennifer Carey told The Epoch Times.

“Nowhere is July 4^th better than Surf City,” she said.

The bike ride, which started at Huntington Beach’s Lake Park, ended near the busy intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street.

Information for Independence Day events in Huntington Beach can be found on the city’s website.