Over 60,000 people gathered in downtown Raleigh for the sights and sounds of the Raleigh Christmas Parade from 9:40 a.m to 12 p.m., Nov. 21, 2016.
The Raleigh Christmas Parade is the largest holiday parade from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta, Georgia and is an annual tradition. The 2016 parade was the 72nd anniversary and was sponsored and broadcasted by WRAL-TV. Bill Leslie and Renee Chu hosted the event on WRAL with Brian Shrader as a street side reporter. In addition to the tens of thousands who attended the parade, 250,000 people watched from home.
This annual event has been presented by Greater Raleigh Merchants Association (GRMA) since 1944. The GRMA is a non profit organization that has voiced for local business and merchants since 1940. At the parade, John Odom, who has arranged over 30 parades and was on city council, was selected as Grand Marshall, the supreme court official in a government legislative branch.
For the Athens Drive marching band, various changes must be made when marching in a parade rather than a field.
“In a parade we stay in a block form, while on field we move in different shapes. Also, during the parade we play softer because the audience is right there next to you,” said Jerry Markoch, band director.
The parade consisted of three large helium balloons and 21 different marching bands. Most of the bands were from Wake County high schools, but Shaw University’s band and the Helping Hand Mission Band performed as well. The parade concluded with Santa waving to the crowd.
“We did not get to see the other bands, but before marching, I got to see a drum off between Athens Drive High School and Cary High School,” said Matthew Parker, freshman saxophone player for the Athens Drive Marching band.
The parade route is about 1.4 miles long, spanning across Hillsborough St. starting from the St. Mary’s St. intersection and ending on Lenoir St. The parade was broadcasted from 10 a.m to 12 p.m., and will be rebroadcasted on Christmas Day at 4 p.m.
“We have been doing this parade for 25 years and we knew what to expect. This year’s students did a great job at meeting expectations,” Markoch said.
There were special appearances in the parade such as the Carolina roller-derby team and 4-year-old Arlo Jordan. Arlo Jordan dressed up in a superhero costume that resembled his hometown, naming himself “ Raleighman.” Jordan was gifted the costume for his 4th birthday and uses his powers to give out flowers to people at a community center and to give firemen breakfast.
“My favorite part of the parade was when I walked along the streets and wished people a Merry Christmas, giving high fives and shaking hands. I like to see people smile, and Athens was well promoted,” Markoch said.
The next event will be on Jan. 30 when the Downtown Raleigh Alliance opens a skate rink downtown in City Plaza. The cost to skate and borrow skates is a total of $10.
