The parade traditionally takes place on the first Saturday of December and is followed by the Tree Lighting. The 2024 parade will be on Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 5pm.

The parade typically lasts 60-75 minutes, depending on the number of total entries. (It is followed immediately by the Tree Lighting Ceremony at Corpening Plaza.)

The Parade takes place as planned, rain, snow or shine. Please be aware of weather forecasts and dress appropriately.

The Parade begins at Poplar + 4th St, continues down 4th St, turns right onto Liberty St and ends at Corpening Plaza. (Staging for the Parade is in between Spruce and Poplar, and surrounding areas.)

The Parade is a celebration of the WS community, as long as you are welcoming to all, anyone can be involved!

Elected officials, dignitaries, and bands are invited by Parade committee only. 

General registration will open in October.

No. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate entries that did not register AND pay by the deadline.

Once the deadline has passed, no late entries will be allowed. Entries that arrive on parade day will NOT be allowed to participate.

No. Your entry "fee" is considered a donation the nonprofit. 

Limiting the # of entries allows for better time control. Doing so allows us to anticipate how long the parade will last and allows viewers to make it to the Tree Lighting in time.

• $35 for 1 Vehicle
• $65 for 2 Vehicles
• Float (either large float or vehicle with attached float) is $75
• Non-Profit Entry is $45
• ​Walking Entry (only Walkers, no vehicle) is $25
• Media Entry is $80

YES! As long as it is NOT THROWN. 

Candy, samples or other materials of any kind may NOT be thrown while on the parade route for safety reasons.

Any participants who are handing out things must keep up with their entry as it is moving.

Since the parade takes place in the early evening/nighttime in the winter, we ask that ALL entries be illuminated.  The parade committee and downtown Winston-Salem cannot guarantee outlets, please see our page under “For Participants” about Float Lighting Tips for ideas on how to light your entry.

We cannot guarantee a specific spot, but you can certainly ask.

We encourage festive holiday themes, decorations and music. However, entries are NOT allowed to have anyone dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus. The only Santa and Mrs. Claus appear on the official Santa float at the end of the parade. Elves, reindeer, and other characters are permitted.

*If we see a Santa or Mrs. Claus, you will be asked to remove them. If you do not comply, you may lose your spot in the Parade.*

NO! Not necessarily. It is a Holiday Parade, celebrating the many different Holidays we have at this time of year. 

You are a welcome to decorate for Christmas, but please remember the other Holidays, such as Kwanzaa, Hannukah, winter solstice and Yule. We LOVE inclusivity!

When you register, you are asked to submit a description of your entry, which helps us arrange a varied line-up. However, you do not need to submit designs for approval. We do reserve the right to remove entries that are not appropriate for a family-friendly community event.

We request that entries pay in advance online via Paypal. If you have not paid, you will not be allowed to be in the Parade.  

Parade day is very hectic and we want to ensure that your payment isn’t misplaced. When paying, please indicate for which entry you are paying.

Sponsorships are an excellent opportunity to promote your business before 15,000 parade attendees, on social media and in other parade publicity. We are SO GRATEFUL to our sponsors, we literally could not do the parade without them.

Several affordable sponsorship opportunities are available. You can sponsor santa, dignitaries, signage, and competitions among other things,  please email parade@wsambassadors.org for more information.

Questions, comments, or suggestions? Email us at parade@wsambassadors.org.