The City of Douglas Public Information Department is accepting registrations for the annual Festival of Lights Christmas Parade. Citizens need to be aware of some changes with parade start time, rule changes and where the parade will end this year.
“We had to make some changes this year in regards to time, rules, and end route of the Parade due to demolition/construction that will be taking place at the former Coffee Alternative Education Center,” says Georgia Henderson, Public Information Director. “We will start the parade at 6 p.m. this year and end the parade at South Georgia State College. Please make sure whenever you register that you receive the end route map at South Georgia State College, directions in regards to child drop-off/pickup and disbanding.”
On Saturday, December 2, 2017, the parade will begin at 6 p.m. on Peterson Avenue, with lineup beginning at 4 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. Floats should line up in the parade route on the west, right hand, lane of Peterson Avenue.
The parade will end at South Georgia State College. Entries, including floats, will make a right turn off Peterson Avenue into South Georgia State College onto College Park Drive. College Park Drive will be a one-way street during the parade. Floats and entries
with children who need to be picked up, will remain on College Park Drive and stop at the designated “drop-off” area for children to exit floats and be picked up by parents. Entries that do not have children/riders on a float, will proceed up College Park Drive and exit either by Wheeler or Shirley Avenue. Entries that need to disband prior to exiting the college, should pull up College Park Drive onto the right or left side. Peterson Hall will be open for restrooms or in case of inclement weather.
Parents of children who will be riding on floats should plan to pick their children up from Quincy Circle’s grass area in front of Peterson Hall. Parents must park their vehicles either in the Brooks Road parking lots or in the Childs Circle parking spaces. After parking their vehicle, parents will have to walk to Quincy Circle, the grass area in front of Peterson Hall, to pick up their child. Once receiving their child and returning to their vehicle, parents will exit on Brooks Road or Child’s Circle by following the road to College Park Drive. Once at College Park Drive, parents will turn left and exit the college either by continuing on Shirley Avenue or by turning left onto Wheeler Avenue.
No skateboarders will be allowed to participate in the parade. No sex offenders may will be allowed to participate nor enter the parade. Registrations will be checked by the Douglas Police Department and the Georgia Sex Offender database.
Entries without lighting will be pulled from the parade route. To maintain the overall effect of the nighttime parade, ALL entries must be thoroughly decorated with lights and follow the “A Starry Night” theme. Clowns, bands, dignitaries, pageant winners, marching units, drill teams, and colorful performing groups are excluded from this rule.
Applications are available at the City of Douglas Public Information Department, located at 211 S. Gaskin Avenue or download the application at http://www.cityofdouglas.com/parade. For more information about the Festival of Lights Christmas Parade, please call (912) 383-0277 or info@cityofdouglas.com.