Downtown Toledo kicks off the holiday season Saturday morning when the 39th annual Blade Holiday Parade steps off at 10 a.m., bringing giant balloons, marching bands, horses, floats and Santa Claus’s first local appearance of the season to the downtown street grid.
The parade begins at the corner of North Summit Street and Jefferson Avenue, turns onto Jackson Boulevard, makes its way to Huron Street and finishes down Washington Street, according to The Blade’s parade organizers. Street closures along the route begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, city officials announced, so drivers heading downtown should plan for detours through the morning.
This year’s grand marshal is Bay View Yacht Club, The Blade announced. The parade is presented with the Distinguished Clown Corps, a Toledo tradition whose members are a fixture of the route, and Destination Toledo lists Santa’s debut for the season among the morning’s highlights, alongside the balloons, bands and floats.
The Blade reported that unit participation requests for this year’s parade have closed after an overwhelming response, a sign of how many schools, businesses and community groups line up for a spot in the procession. More than 60 organizations were invited to take part, according to parade materials from participating groups.
Bay View Yacht Club’s role goes beyond leading the parade: the club’s members have ordered 2,280 books to distribute along the parade route, continuing the club’s parade-day tradition of putting books in children’s hands, according to the club.
For families, the parade is the unofficial start of Toledo’s holiday calendar. The city’s own downtown celebrations continue next weekend, when the Promenade Park tree lighting and the International Holiday Market return November 20 and 21, according to the City of Toledo.
Spectators should arrive early for curb space along Summit and Jackson, dress for a mid-November morning, and expect the heaviest crowds near the start of the route. Parking garages downtown remain the easiest option once the 8 a.m. street closures take effect.
When the parade wraps up, the holiday season in northwest Ohio keeps rolling: Bowling Green’s community holiday parade follows on November 21, and Toledo’s tree lighting festivities take over Promenade Park the same weekend.
Photo: MrJacon000, CC BY-SA