Marching bands shivered in the rain, but it didn’t stop Raleigh’s 75th Christmas parade
This year’s Christmas Parade commemorated 75 years of the distinct Raleighite tradition kicking off Christmas festivities downtown a month before Christmas on the weekend before Thanksgiving.
The Saturday morning parade also tested the loyalty of its participants and faithful parade-goers. Everyone had to brave a chilly temperature of around 45 degrees, topped off with pouring rain that started an hour after the parade began at 9:30 a.m.
The parade was presented by the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association and Shop Local Raleigh, and its early date allows local businesses to get first dibs on folks doing holiday shopping before Black Friday weekend rolls around. It was sponsored by WTVD/ABC11 (The News & Observer’s media partner) and LeithCars.com.
Crowds were able to enjoy the presence and performances of various stars, among which were Good Morning America’s TJ Holmes, Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin, who sang for the crowds, Ira David Wood IV and the “A Christmas Carol” cast, and FIFA World Cup Champion Jessica McDonald as grand marshal of the parade.
Carolina Panthers mascot Sir Purr and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Hamilton the Pig made appearances to rep their teams with pride.
A tweet during the parade pointed out that ABC11 mascots appeared to be “trolling” WRAL by stepping in the station’s camera shots, recalling a 2017 battle between the two broadcast stations. That year ABC11 won the broadcast rights to the parade, breaking WRAL’s 44-year run of holding the contract to broadcast the event.
Rainy day, encouraging words
Though their parade got rained on, many of those who came were in good spirits. Cherie Medley, 30, attended for the first time from Holly Springs with her family. She said that besides the odd holiday timing and the rain, it was a great experience.
“You made it!” Medley yelled out encouragingly at a band marching under the cold rain, who were visibly shivering.
“I didn’t know it was going to rain this hard, but overall, this is good,” Medley said. “I like the community here. The people here with us, they asked us to join them and they allowed us to sit with them; it was nice.”
Medley and her children cheered on the Helping Hand Rescue Mission Marching Band, a Christmas parade crowd favorite, who were as energetic as ever with their music and choreography even while being rained on.
It was the first time there as well for Roberto Olvera, 43, who made it to cover under an awning so he could enjoy the parade during the rain. He said the marching bands reminded him of bands during Christmas street celebrations in his native Mexico City.
“It isn’t the same music as in Mexico, but just getting to see them, it’s really nice,” Olvera said in Spanish. “It’s good that they’re toughing out the rain.”
Downtown Raleigh Tree Lighting
Parade-goers can return later for more festivities on Saturday night for the free Downtown Raleigh Tree Lighting Celebration from 6-8 p.m. The tree is at Lichtin Plaza at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts (2 E. South Street).
There will be live performances, a Santa appearance, a Marbles Kids Museum Booth, local food and retail vendors and free activities for those attending.
The tree lighting by Mayor Nancy McFarlane should take place around 7:30 p.m. and will air live on ABC11, hosted by meteorologist Brittany Bell.
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 4:35 PM.
