Culture

Everything you need to know about the Raleigh Christmas Parade

The 77th annual Raleigh Christmas Parade will march through downtown Saturday, Nov. 18 with Grand Marshal Cam Ward, over 100 local groups, and Santa Claus himself.

November 14, 2023 • 
Allie Remhof
A group of dancers dressed like Santa Claus.

The Raleigh Christmas Parade will trot through downtown — roads will be closed from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Photo provided by Visit Raleigh

The 2023 Raleigh Christmas Parade presented by ABC 11, Shop Local Raleigh + the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association is this Saturday, Nov. 18 kicking off at 9:30 a.m. This parade is the largest between Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

This year’s celebration will feature Grand Marshal Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes. Ward played for the Canes from 2005 to 2018 in over 600 games as a goaltender.

Over 100 groups will be part of the parade, including massive balloons, community groups, bands, and more, which will all be on foot per new City of Raleigh parade measures.

The parade will march down Hillsborough, Morgan, and Fayetteville streets and will block traffic on many of their intersections. View a full map of the 1.4 mile route before planning any downtown festivities before 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Parade-goers can park in any downtown lot for free on the day of the parade, also outlined in the parade map.

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