Why is Raleigh’s Christmas parade always held before Thanksgiving? Here’s the answer.

Brooke Cain
·2 min read
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Raleigh’s annual Christmas parade is no trivial affair. It’s the considered the largest parade on the East Coast between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, with more than 115 entries, including giant inflatables, marching bands, Santa Claus and more.

ABC11, the official sponsor of the parade, estimates that more than 65,000 people line up on downtown Raleigh streets to watch the spectacle in person.

We estimate that 64,000 of them will at some point ask — or at least wonder — why is this happening before we’ve even had our Thanksgiving turkey?

As we wrote in a story about the parade in 2017, the complaints about the timing of the event are as much a holiday tradition as the Santa appearance that closes the procession.

The official reason for the early date? Holiday shopping.

Shop, shop, shop

The parade is sponsored by the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association, and has been since 1944. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has traditionally kicked off the Christmas shopping season, so Raleigh merchants want us all to be thinking about them as we begin our gift-buying.

(It’s worth mentioning here that the concept of Black Friday has changed quite a bit in recent years, with Black Friday-labeled sales now starting in early November. Black Friday shopping has become more of a season now, instead of just a single day, as NBC News reported last year.)

But, as Raleigh merchants see it, a parade that happens after Black Friday would mean they might lose some of those holiday shopping dollars.

The parade has been held the Saturday before Thanksgiving every year since 1939, with the exception of a few years without the parade during World War II. The parade was virtual in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead of complaining about date of the Raleigh Christmas parade, perhaps we could all lobby to return to holding the parade at night, which is how it was back in the 1960s. Just think of all those floats, but bedazzled with sparkling lights.

What to know about the 2023 Raleigh Christmas Parade

The 79th Raleigh Christmas Parade happens Saturday, Nov. 18. The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. but you’ll want to arrive much earlier than that if you’re attending in person.

You can watch the parade on TV on ABC11 or on WRAL.

Get more details at grma.org/christmas-parade.