Everything you need to know for the 2024 ABC11 Raleigh Christmas Parade
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Time is ticking down to the 80th annual Raleigh Christmas Parade which takes place Saturday, Nov. 23.
The holiday fun starts Friday night, November 22, with the Downtown Raleigh Tree Lighting. The festivities start at 5:30 pm -8 pm. The tree lighting is scheduled to happen after 6:00 p.m.
If you plan to head out to the parade, you probably have questions about the start time, the route, parking and other details. ABC11 has all the information you need to have the best day ever!
WHAT TIME DOES THE RALEIGH CHRISTMAS PARADE START?
- ABC11's live coverage of the parade starts at 9:00 a.m.
- You can watch it live on TV or where you stream ABC11
RALEIGH CHRISTMAS PARADE ROUTE
- The parade starts on Hillsborough Street and ends at Lenoir Street
- Begins on Hillsborough Street at the intersection of St. Mary's Street
- Proceeds East on Hillsborough Street to the State Capitol
- Turns right onto Salisbury Street
- Turns left onto Morgan Street
- Turns right onto Fayetteville Street
- Turns right at Lenoir Street where it disbands
HOW LONG IS THE PARADE?
- The parade is about a mile and a half.
- The parade is usually about two hours long.
TRAFFIC ALERT
- Road closures will be Hillsborough Street from West Morgan Street to Saint Mary's Street and Saint Mary's from College Place to W. Morgan Street from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m.
- Additional road closures and detours may be established at the discretion of the incident commander to control traffic near the route.
PARKING
- Parade-goers can arrive as early as 7 a.m. to secure the best seats along the parade route, but if you are tight on time, you can arrive right at the start of the parade.
- There will be parking all across downtown with parking decks, and street parking to choose from.
PARADE HISTORY
The first Raleigh Christmas Parade was on Saturday, November 25, 1939. It took a hiatus during WWII until 1945.
Click on Raleigh Christmas Parde for more history and facts.
HOW TO WATCH
If you can't make it to downtown Raleigh for the parade you can catch all the fun and festivities on ABC11, the ABC11 streaming apps, and the ABC News Hulu hybrid channel. Get more information.
