The International Taiko Festival, at San Francisco promotes an ancient art of Japan

The Wawa Welcome America! Independence Day Parade is bigger and better than ever in 2011 with more than 4,000 participants from a dozen states.

The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. and features 16 marching musical groups, nine floats, five military branches and plenty of special guests.

Among the performers this year: the Hoh Japanese Drummers, Minas Brazilian Dancers and Drummers and the oldest fife and drum band in America, the Mattatuck Drum Band founded in 1767.

Hundreds of active duty enlisted and veteran soldiers and officers from the Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard will march down the nation