The Downtown Beloit Association’s annual Grand Holiday Lighted Parade is taking place in downtown Beloit on Nov. 25. Music will start at 5 p.m. and Santa Claus will land atop First National Bank at 6 p.m. The parade will then travel along Grand Avenue to Horace White Park.
BELOIT—The Grand Lighted Holiday Parade will return to Beloit this year and is marking three decades of making the season brighter.
The Downtown Beloit Association and City of Beloit are happy to present the parade which will return to its traditional form after a few challenging years of the pandemic. Floats and parade participants will be decked out in holiday lights and trimmings for the parade.
Festivities will begin at 5 p.m. on Nov. 25 in downtown Beloit with live music being played at the First National Bank Plaza at the corner of State Street and Grand Avenue. At 6 p.m. Santa Claus will arrive in downtown Beloit.
At 6:15 p.m. the parade begins along Grand Avenue. The parade route will run from 3rd Street to Horace White Park.
“The parade is put on by the Downtown Beloit Association,” said Shauna El-Amin, Executive Director with the Downtown Beloit Association. “Other organizations throughout the Greater Beloit area participate with floats.”
There is still time for businesses to register a float for the parade. the deadline to enter a parade float is on Nov. 19 and the cost for a float is as follows: Float entry is $10 or 10 non-perishable food items for non-profits and $15 or 15 non-perishable food items for businesses.
A registration form with rules and route map can be found at the Downtown Beloit Association offices, 557 E. Grand Ave.
At 7 p.m. people can visit with Mr. and Mrs. Claus and have pictures taken at Walnut Creek Apparel and Gifts, 400 E. Grand Ave.
During the pandemic, the DBA held a “reverse parade” where spectators drove by the lighted parade floats which were parked in a lot along Third Street. This year, the floats no longer will be stationary, returning to the more traditional holiday parade.
There are other changes coming to the parade this year.
“The parade will include new and updated floats and different participants,” El-Amin said. “We will also have enhanced security along the route for the safety of our community.”
Residents will see police vehicles, snow plows and other vehicles securing the parade route.
“The City of Beloit Police Department is taking every precaution to ensure our residents have a safe and enjoyable celebration,” Beloit Police Chief Andre Sayles said in a press release.
The police department, city and Downtown Beloit Association is taking safety very seriously this year, especially because of the large turnout the parade brings.
“We typically have an outstanding turnout with the streets packed and lined throughout the whole parade route,” El-Amin said.
If it is snowing or there is inclement weather the parade will continue through rain or snow, El-Amin said.
When asked why the parade is called what it is, El-Amin had this to say.
“That’s a good one,” El-Amin told the Beloit Daily News. “Well, it is held on Grand Avenue, we expect all entrants to be lit since we hold it at night, and it is the kick off for the holiday season.”