Our History
Committee
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The Richmond Christmas Parade first
lined the streets of downtown Richmond in 1984 when it was known
as the Richmond Jaycees Christmas Parade. Originally a project
of the Richmond Jaycees, the parade has continued to grow for
more than 22 years and is now one the largest single day event
of the year in the Richmond area.
The first parade drew 40,000 spectators along its original route;
in 2004 nearly a quarter of a million people lined Broad Street
to witness the parade. Since 1992, Ukrop’s Super Markets
Inc. has participated as a title sponsor, helping the parade
flourish and become a Richmond tradition. From 1997 - 2005, the
Retail Merchants Association increased their support by also
becoming a title sponsor.
The Ukrop’s Christmas Parade was
named one of the top 20 December events by the Southeastern Tourism
Society. Each year the parade has a special
Grand Marshal, past Grand Marshals have included: B5 and Everlife, SpongeBob SquarePants,
Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Aaron Carter, Kenny Rogers, Spencer
Christian, Blair Underwood, Frank Perdue and Jonathan Rollins. The
parade has been featured on ABC’s Good Morning America and was
the setting of a Paul Simon
video with Chevy Chase and Steve Martin.
The 90 minute parade is held on the first Saturday of each December
and broadcast live by Richmond’s CBS affiliate. The parade
is also syndicated in the Norfolk and Roanoke markets and re-broadcast
on Christmas day in Richmond. More than 90 units are featured
in the parade each year and the parade utilizes nearly 500 volunteers. |
