We’re a day away from the official kickoff to Richmond’s holiday season. The 38th Annual Dominion Energy Christmas Parade will once again hit Broad Street.
Here’s a rundown of what you need to know before you go.
☀️ Weather
Though the high for Saturday may be 68° and sunny, it’s set to be about 43° at 10 a.m. when the parade starts in front of the Science Museum of Virginia. Pro tip: Dress in layers.
🚗 Traffic
Local police will start to close several roads starting at 5 a.m. tomorrow, all of them surrounding the West Broad Street parade route.
The streets will remain shut down through 3 p.m., including for parking. Parade-goers should know the route is a straight shot east down towards 7th Street near the Richmond Coliseum.
🎶 What to expect
This year’s parade is pulling out the classics with its theme “Bring Back the Fun in 2021.”
Regional high school + college marching bands will be in attendance, as well as fire trucks, equestrian units, dance troupes, decorated floats, and magical princesses. Plus, you won’t want to miss a visit from Legendary Santa himself.
Snoopy will once again lead the parade as a grand marshal on the Kings Dominion float, like he and the Peanuts gang did back in 2018. But he’s not the only one with the grand title.
James Madison alumni + sports fans alike can cheer on honorary Grand Marshals Oddici Alexander and Coach Loren Laporte, the Dukes’ softball pitcher and coach, respectively. The team made ESPN headlines — and history — in their debut at the Women’s College World Series back in June. Editor Katie is most excited for this part. Go Dukes. 💜
The whole event will be broadcast live by CBS6, but if you miss it, it will re-air on that channel at 9 a.m. on Christmas Day.
If the parade isn’t enough to quench your thirst for holiday fun, we’ve got a brand-spankin-new December events calendar to plan out the rest of your weekend.
Ho ho have a great weekend, Richmond. 🎄
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