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Visitors crowded near Independence National Historical Park, the Independence Visitor Center, President’s House site and Liberty Bell Center Friday despite the cancellation of the Salute to Independence Semiquincentennial Parade hours earlier due to the heat.

Philadelphia is under an extreme heat warning from the National Weather Service, which has forecast dangerously hot heat index values, a measure of how the weather feels, as high as 115 degrees. A Heat Health Emergency and Code Red are also in effect.

“It just became too dangerous,” said Michael DelBene, president and CEO of Welcome America, the nonprofit that organized the parade. “We couldn’t guarantee our guests safety.”

DelBene said he was “devastated” and “heartbroken” to cancel the parade, which was expected to draw around 10,000 participants and took roughly two years to plan.

Why Welcome America canceled the parade

Parade organization made the decision after talking with city leaders, public safety agencies, sponsors and other stakeholders. They also took into consideration the experience at the Queen Latifah concert Thursday evening, which DelBene said was canceled after the surface of the stage reached 117 degrees, and a “mass casualty incident” along the route of Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive in Berks County, where over 100 people experienced heat illness. DelBene said he worried about the safety of workers who would need to set up the parade.

“It is never a decision in a vacuum, but at the end of the day, it always has one singular priority, and that is the safety of our guests, the safety of our participants, and the safety of our crew,” DelBene said.

As of Friday morning, DelBene said the other upcoming events, including the Pops on Independence concert Friday evening, were scheduled to go forward, with extra water and ice deliveries, cooling buses and emergency medical teams on hand to keep attendees safe.

“We are all systems go until we’re not all systems go,” he said.

‘Really disappointed’: Visitors travelled long distances for 250th parade

DelBene said groups expected to march in the parade included people who’d flown in from overseas and from all 50 U.S. states and U.S. territories. The groups included all 52 Miss America state and territory titleholders, military groups, the Korean American Association, Council of Indian Organizations, Chinese Benevolent Association, Tibetan Association, Filipino Association, high school marching bands from California, Alabama, Oklahoma and one band from Italy.

“They fundraised, they’ve sold chocolate bars and gone door-to-door and done car washes, and all of those amazing things that groups do to get here,” he said. “We’re just simply heartbroken that the culmination of that isn’t going to be the parade that they hoped for.”

Joe Seymour drove with his family up from Baltimore to march in the parade as part of a living history group portraying the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment and 43rd Regiment of Foot. He planned to wear a three-layered linen and wool uniform and cocked hat, which he described as “not as hot as it looks.”

“We were ready to go, but you know kids these days,” he joked. “Weak and soft. We used to march uphill both ways in our parade.”

“We’re really disappointed,” he added. “But we understand it was a safety call.”

Despite the cancellation, Seymour said he was excited to be in Philadelphia for Independence Day.

“It’s where it all happened,” he said. “So many things that we take for granted today were fought over in the 18th century … these very basic freedoms that people had, the right to participate in government and to vote. We take it for granted these days, but it’s so important to remember the values that were espoused in the Declaration of Independence.”

Seymour wasn’t alone in pivoting from parade plans. Erin Rutherford, who came from Arkansas, originally intended to watch the parade but instead went sightseeing in Old City, visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

“It got canceled, but that’s OK because we hopped in line to do Independence Hall, and that was just the coolest thing,” Rutherford said. “Literally in the room where it happened.”

Old City visitors and tour guides try to beat the heat

Christa Parlacoski, a guide with the tour company Grim Philly, prepared to lead a Revolution and the Founders tour of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin’s home sites in Old City Friday morning. She said the company modified its tour routes to stop through more air conditioned buildings.

“I have my electrolytes in my water so that I’m ready to go,” she said. “Just going to take my time and pay attention to what my body says, and definitely look at the body language of my guests as well and make sure that everybody stays safe as best we can.”

Parlacoski said she thought canceling the parade was the right call.

“You have people in those heavy costumes, and it really probably wouldn’t have been safe to do it at the height of the sunshine and the heat for the day,” she said. “It does stink that it’s July 4th weekend, but it’s better to have everybody safe than sorry.”

The heat wasn’t a deterrent for Maxwell Sykes, who was passing through Philly on his way to Gettysburg, where he’ll be watching a reenactment for Independence Day. Sykes braved the heat to stop by the Liberty Bell.

“It’s just a part of history I don’t quite know that much about, so I want to learn a little bit more about it and just see it,” Sykes said.

WHYY News intern Hannah Pajtis contributed to this report.