Saturday, thousands of people — one of the largest crowds one local official said he’d seen — gathered along the streets of downtown St. Cloud to watch the 60th installment of the city’s Christmas parade.
“Christmas Movie Time” was this year’s parade theme, giving onlookers the pleasure of seeing their holiday cinema favorites attending the many floats. Characters such as the Grinch and Frosty the Snowman helped the crowd get into the holiday spirit by handing out candy and posing for pictures.
While the event is loved by many onlookers, for some the parade is more than just a holiday festivity. To Maryl Hill, the event has become a long-time tradition.
“We’ve come every year,” she said, “The kids love it, they love seeing their friends in the parade, the dance team, the bands, its just the whole energy of the day. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the season.”
“I can’t wait to dance!” said her five-year-old daughter Harper, eagerly awaiting the post-parade recital.
The parade began on Pennsylvania Avenue and made its way through over 10 packed city blocks before ending at Massachusetts Avenue.
Attendees for the parade included the St. Cloud Police Department, the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce, and an appearance from the man in red that we all know and love, Santa Claus.
“My personal thanks goes to Robert Bass, Betty Damke, Brian West, the St. Cloud PD, Fire and Rescue, the city Audio Visual department and the rest of our tireless committee who have been working for months on the parade,” St. Cloud Chamber President Dirk Webb said. “A special thanks goes to those who helped organize and work through the staging at the lakefront. I know that is mass chaos. You always handle it so well. I also want to thank my staff for their hard work.”
“I’ve never seen so many people at the parade,” said Osceola County Commissioner and St. Cloud resident Ricky Booth. “Usually to turn the corner back toward the Lakefront and it thins out, but it was packed from end to end.”
(For more photos, see our online photo gallery.)
The Christmas celebration doesn’t end in St. Cloud. Next Saturday, one parade makes its way through Poinciana, and another will light up downtown Kissimmee.
The Association of Poinciana Villages (APV) presents the 30th Annual 2023 Christmas Parade and Celebration at 11 a.m. Featuring dozens of floats, marching bands, schools, community organizations and other participants, The parade will make its way down Cypress Parkway to Vance Harmon Park with the holiday celebration at the amphitheater at the Vance Harmon Complex.
The downtown Kissimmee Festival of Lights will have music, dancing, and a showcase of over a thousand holiday lights among the many floats. The parade is at 7 p.m., with plenty of holiday events beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Kissimmee Lakefront Park.
