Look what Santa’s bringing back to Raleigh this Christmas season

An annual Christmas parade in Raleigh will return this holiday season for its 77th celebration after going virtual last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 ABC11 Raleigh Christmas Parade will begin around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, in downtown Raleigh, according to a Wednesday news release.

The event is presented by Shop Local Raleigh, which promotes locally owned businesses, and will be hosted by ABC11 anchors and reporters.

In the past, the parade has drawn crowds of 65,000 people, with 250,000 more watching from home, the release said.

Jennifer Martin, Shop Local Raleigh’s executive director, said the organization is excited to hold the event in-person, despite the challenges of organizing a parade during a pandemic.

“We’re finding that the community has missed engagement, and they’ve missed connecting with other people,” she said. “That’s one of the things that we’re really excited to be able to bring back.”

The mile-long parade, which runs until noon, will be televised, Martin said. She expects more people to tune in at home than in previous years.

“That’s a great option for people,” she said. “We want them to be able to enjoy it and feel comfortable in what they’re doing.”

For those who do attend in person, Martin said social distancing will be encouraged, and hand washing stations will be placed throughout the parade.

“And obviously, first and foremost, if you feel any kind of sickness, stay home,” she said.

Though the parade was virtual last year, Martin said the annual tradition has only paused for World War II in its decades of existence.

“We really emphasized last year that even though the parade was virtual, it didn’t mean that Christmas was canceled,” she said. “I think that means a lot to our community — to still give us light and hope through some of these challenging times.”

Groups interested in participating in the parade can apply online, she added.

Martin said the organization is following city and state guidelines for events and closely monitoring upcoming festivals.

“We don’t know what the next week, next month, next two months will bring for us,” she said. “But at this time, we’re planning an in-person event.”

This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 11:24 AM.