24th Annual
Holidays in the City
Grand Illumination Parade
November 22, 2008
7:00pm

                                      Presented by: 

The Event

The Grand Illumination Parade begins when 100,000 spectators join in a synchronized community countdown, signaling the illumination of more than 12 miles of lights outlining the downtown Norfolk and Olde Towne Portsmouth skylines. The illumination signals the start of the parade, filled with festive lighted floats, marching bands, giant helium balloons, horses, dancers, and of course ‘Ole Saint Nick’ himself. The theme for this year’s parade is "Celebrate the SEAson" recognizing our nautical heritage.

Broadcast Times

The Grand Illumination Parade will broadcast live on WVEC Channel 13 at 7pm.  Rebroadcast of the parade can be seen on Thanksgiving Day at 9am and Saturday, December 13th at 2pm. Cox Communications will also broadcast the parade on Channel 11 on the following dates and times:
Dec. 6, 13, 20, & 27 at 11am
Dec. 24th at Noon
Dec. 31st at 7pm
During the week of Christmas, Norfolk Neighborhood Network TV-48 will also broadcast the parade.

Parade Route

The parade begins at the corner of St. Paul’s Boulevard and Waterside Drive, continues down Waterside Drive and turns right onto Plume Street, and then left onto Granby Street. The parade ends at the corner of Granby Street and Virginia Beach Boulevard.

The parade map is available to download.

Pre-Parade Activities

From 6 – 7pm, carolers, mascots and other strolling performers will provide pre-parade entertainment along the parade route and vendors will be on hand serving up tasty treats.

KinderVision - Bring your child to the 2nd Floor of Dillard’s inside MacArthur Center between 3 - 6pm and take home a free video featuring your child and a special safety message. It’s all part of KinderVision, an educational video program which provides valuable safety information to families.

Selden Arcade - Join the Selden Arcade from 3 - 5pm for pre-parade activities. Get out of the cold and browse through the Selden’s galleries. On display in the Arcade are canstructures from CANstruction, the area's most creative canned food drive, where canned goods are transformed into dynamic structures. Upstairs in the Selden Gallery, The Art of Anna Freeman and Brett LaGue will be on display. Or take a more interactive approach to art and come see how art is made with the d’ART demos by the artists of d’ART Center. d'Art Center's Holiday Gift Shop and the City of Norfolk's Tourist and Information Center Gift Shop will also be open for early Christmas shopping.

MacArthur On Ice - There's only one place to skate outdoors during the holidays. At MacArthur Center, where you'll always find something special. Bring the family, bring your friends and enjoy the best skating extravaganza Norfolk's ever seen. With public skating, figure skating exhibitions, lessons, skating with the Norfolk Admirals and more, MacArthur Center's the place to be this holiday season.

Early Bird Parking

Come early, get a great viewing location and take advantage of Early Bird Parking, provided by the City of Norfolk Division of Parking, for only $1, from 3 – 5pm in all city owned, attendant operated parking facilities in downtown Norfolk. At 5pm, all facilities will change to special event "collect-on entry" rates ($5 or $4 depending on location) . Early Bird Parking rates do not apply at the following facilities: Scope Garage, St. Paul’s and Brambleton Lots. Also, all Harbor Park Lots and the Harrison Opera House Lot will be closed to the public for the entire day. Regular weekend rates ($1 before 6pm and $2 after 6pm) will be collected upon entry at both of the MacArthur Center Garages.
More Parking information is available for download.

If you are interested in supporting the parade as a Volunteer send an email with your contact information to HIC@DowntownNorfolk.org or download a Volunteer application.