Downtown Dayton Drive-thru Parade Canceled
Downtown Drive-thru Parade Not Taking Place as Scheduled - Other socially distant, seasonal activities still happening
Downtown Dayton Drive-thru Parade Canceled
Other socially distant, seasonal activities still happening
Nov. 20, 2020 (DAYTON, Ohio) ... Under the guidance and advisory of officials from Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County, the Downtown Dayton Partnership (DDP) and other organizers of Dayton Holiday Festival activities announce the Dayton Drive-Thru Children's Parade in Lights will not take place on Saturday, Nov. 28, as previously scheduled.
Although every precaution to maintain health and safety of guests, participants, volunteers and staff was included in parade preparation, due to current circumstances surrounding the spread of the coronavirus in Montgomery County, and the stay-at-home advisory in Montgomery County, parade organizers have decided it is best for the community not to press forward with this event on Nov. 28.
“We know planning events during this pandemic has been challenging at every turn,” said DDP President Sandra Gudorf. “This year certainly has offered its share of disappointments, but it also created opportunities for our staff to get creative in pivoting experiences to socially distant, safe programming. I also want to thank all of our sponsors, partners, volunteers, and everyone else involved with this and other events. This year has been a wild ride, and they’ve stuck it out with us through all the twists and turns.”
The Dayton Holiday Festival, presented by Dayton Power and Light, celebrating its 48th year, will still have holiday celebrations Daytonians can enjoy from the safety of their own home and under current county guidelines, such as the new interactive lighting display along Main Street. Hundreds of trees, spanning five city blocks on Main Street from Monument Avenue to Fifth Street, and across Courthouse Square, will be aglow with lights, and “dance” to choreographed synchronization.
"The silver -- or should I say, 'multi-colored' -- lining to this bad news is our community can still enjoy a festive drive-through experience any time when they drive down Main Street," Gudorf said. "This free light display will begin the day after Thanksgiving and run through early 2021, giving visitors lots of opportunities to share a socially distant moment with their families while celebrating the season, and patronizing their favorite downtown businesses."
The Grande Illumination tree-lighting ceremony in downtown Dayton will be a televised event this year. The tradition of lighting the larger-than-life holiday tree on Courthouse Square will unfold during a special 30-minute broadcast that will air on WHIO-TV, Channel 7, beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27. The partnership with WHIO will showcase musical entertainment from some of the area’s top performers, a look into area holiday traditions, and several surprises.
For more Dayton Holiday events, visit www.daytonholidayfestival.org.
“We know planning events during this pandemic has been challenging at every turn, and while we’re disappointed we won’t be able to present the community with a parade, we’re happy we have other options to share the spirit of the season with Dayton, like the televised Grande Illumination and Holiday Lights on Main.” Gudorf said. “We do want to remind our community that even though some of our normal festivities are different this year, one thing remains constant -- our small businesses need our support more than ever. Please be sure to patronize those businesses in a safe and responsible manner any way you can this year.” The DDP is constantly updating the latest information about downtown businesses that are open at DowntownDayton.org/Open, including operational hours, services, ordering links, and more information.
The Dayton Holiday Festival is a program of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, and is presented by Dayton Power & Light. Additional support comes from White-Allen Chevrolet, CareSource, Dayton Children’s Hospital, NECA/IBEW Electrical Professionals, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County, and the Mrs. Virginia W. Kettering Dayton Holiday Festival Fund. Special thanks to WHIO-TV, Dayton.com, and iHeartRADIO for in-kind media support.
For a list of downtown’s events, a dining guide, parking maps and more, visit www.downtowndayton.org, and follow the DDP on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to keep up with downtown events and news.
