I tried shooting the YL boat parade a couple of times. The past Christmas parades were at night, and it was near impossible to get good positioning for any kind of tripod due to the crowds. So not exactly ideal conditions.
I forget if the July 4th parade is a daytime or night time thing though.
Nighttime, I wouldn't bother taking a camera (from prior experience).
Daytime, take your most versatile zoom. These aren't going to be low-light artsy (bokeh) photos. You don't need a fast prime.