Lexington's annual Christmas Parade Dec. 2
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 30, 2023) — Lexington’s annual Christmas Parade is quickly approaching! The event will take place 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. The parade route will run along Main Street starting at Midland Avenue and ending at Mill.
The parade transpires as a partnership between students in a University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information event planning class and Downtown Lexington Partnership (DLP). Students are working together in teams to assist in recruitment, event promotion, vendor events and logistics with the focus of highlighting additional activities downtown.
“Thanks to the collaborative spirit of several downtown businesses, DLP is excited to provide new opportunities to spend the day downtown before, during and after the parade,” said Laura Farnsworth, director of development and events for DLP. “We encourage everyone to check out the activities planned or stop by your favorite downtown retail shop or restaurant on Dec. 2!”
The event will include local bands, businesses, floats and even an appearance from Santa Claus. Attendees can expect a day full of fun activities. Photo opportunities, letters to Santa, ornament decorating, coloring and other festive activities can be found in Santa’s Corner located at Phoenix Park. During the parade, local coffee shops will be offering holiday-inspired drinks for attendees to enjoy.
After the parade, there will be Christmas story readings from Miss Kentucky USA, Madalyne Kinnett, at the Central Public Library starting at noon.
In addition to the Christmas story readings, LexLive will have a showing of the movie “ELF” at 12:30 p.m. Tickets for the movie can be pre-purchased at LexLive - Showtimes, Ticketing and Concessions - Mobile Moviegoing.
God's Pantry will also be collecting food donations. There will be two donation drop-off spots that can be found at Phoenix Park (where the children's activities will be located) and one at the corner of Midland Avenue and Main Street. Please see the recommended food items below:
- Shelf-stable proteins: canned/pouched tuna, canned chicken, canned pork, canned beef, peanut butter, beans (canned or dried) and shelf-stable egg substitute.
- Fruits: canned — apples, peaches, pineapples, pears, pumpkin. Dried fruits: cranberries and prunes. Fruit cups.
- Pantry items: powdered and canned milk, shelf-stable cheese products, seasonings, spices, condiments and sauces.
- Vegetables: green beans, corn, mixed veggies, peas, asparagus and spinach. Tomato products (diced, sauce, whole and paste).
- Starches: potatoes (canned or instant), mac and cheese, pasta, spaghetti O's, Chef Boyardee meals and rice.
- Breakfast foods: cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, biscuit mix and pancake mix
Parking for attendees can be found at https://lexpark.org/.
For any questions, please reach out to Laura Farnsworth at laura@downtownlex.com.
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