Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting Ceremony to be Held November 27 beginning at 6 p.m.

Holiday Parade 2021
Holiday Parade 2021

34th Annual Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony

Sponsored by the Auburn Downtown BID and the City of Auburn

Saturday, November 27, 2021 @ 6PM

Parade starts at 6 p.m. at the corner of E. Genesee St and Fulton Street.  The parade will march in a westwardly direction down Genesee Street through downtown until William Street, then turn on William Street to Lincoln Street where it ends.

The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at City Hall will follow the parade.


Information for parade participants is as follows.

WHERE: The parade will assemble on E. Genesee Street starting at the N. Fulton Street intersection on the north side of the street, and continue east along E. Genesee Street. The side streets will not be utilized, and many will be closed to traffic after 5:30PM. Seward Avenue will remain open, so please use this cross street for side access to Genesee Street.

WHEN: Line-up is between 5 – 5:45PM, and the parade starts @ 6PM.

LINE-UP: Click here for the line-up list.  Please note what number you are on the line-up, and who is in front & behind you. Then, the day of, look for the name of your business/organization on signs staked out on E. Genesee Street. Each participant is allotted the total footage submitted on their form. Line-up next to your sign, as space is calculated from the sign back heading east towards Hoopes Park. Please do not arrive before 5PM, or take space away from those next to you in the line-up.

FLOAT COMPETITION: The judges request that participants make an extra effort to identify their float. Prominently displayed signs & banners are needed to show who is who! Floats are judged on a point system by holiday theme, creativity, identity and enthusiasm.

PRIZES: Cash prizes are awarded to the three top floats. First place receives $150; second place receives $100, and third receives $75. Winners are announced at the Tree Lighting Ceremony on Memorial City Hall steps, following the parade.

SAFETY: To ensure everyone’s safety there will be NO CANDY THROWN from floats & vehicles. You may have people walking & handing out candy. This also helps with parade flow, as crowds won't block the parade path and slow it down by catching candy.

Side note to Fire Departments, please refrain from creating any noise that will scare the horse teams located at the end of the parade line-up.

GUIDELINES: We encourage holiday music, decorative lights & fun costumes to make the event more festive. Gentle reminder, please NO SANTAS or Mrs. CLAUS on floats or other vehicles in the parade. BID has special arrangements made for Mr./Mrs. Claus to be on a float at the end of the parade, and seeing multiples will confuse the small children.

FLOW: Last, it’s very important when you reach the end of the parade route to please keep moving. Do not stop until you've moved out of the way, otherwise you'll back-up the parade behind you. Please continue straight towards the City Hall parking lot, yet do not block the Wegmans side entrance. You can also turn right onto South Street to unload your float & vehicles. If you can unload elsewhere, further away from parade activity, please do so.

For questions, changes to the line-up info, or to be removed from this database list, please contact Jesse Kline 315.730-4622 or jesse@auburndowntown.org