2023 PARADE RULES & GUIDELINES
ENTRANTS MUST OBSERVE ALL RULES AND REGULATIONS LISTED BELOW. ENTRANTS MUST ALSO FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS FROM POLICE AND PARADE OFFICIALS AT ALL TIMES ON PARADE DAY. THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ALLIANCE PARADE COMMITTEE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REMOVE ANY ENTRANT FROM THE PARADE AT ANY POINT ON PARADE DAY. REMOVAL CAN OCCUR PRIOR TO ASSEMBLY, WHILE ASSEMBLING, OR ANY TIME DURING THE PARADE.
We invite you to apply for entry in the 2023 Parker Hometown Christmas Parade, in downtown Parker, Colorado with step off at 10:30 am sharp on Saturday, December 9, 2023. A maximum of 60 units will be accepted to participate into the parade. New this year – a Parker Hometown Christmas Craft Market will take place in O’Brien Park, in conjunction with the Parade, providing families with a day full of fun holiday activities!
GENERAL INFORMATION
1. ENTRY FEES Floats $75 Horse/Carriage $75 Single Vehicle $75 Walkers up to 25 count $50 Walkers 26-50 count additional $25 Non-Profits 501C3 50% discount
2. CHRISTMAS SPIRIT This is a Christmas Parade! Participating units are expected to demonstrate their Christmas/Holiday Spirit by decorating their entry accordingly.
3. HAND OUTS No materials may be thrown or tossed along the parade route. HOWEVER, you MAY have walkers in your unit walk up to spectators along the curb and hand them material. Do this in a fashion that does not affect the forward motion of the parade. The parade committee will approve all items to be handed out. You will be asked to supply this information in a follow-up email.
4. STOPPING No units may stop forward motion for performances.
5. RELEASE OF LIABILITY All parade participants will be required to sign the 2023 Parker Hometown Parade Waiver and Release of Liability/Publicity document which will be emailed to you in your acceptance email. This document will require the signature of the parent or guardian of all participants 18 yrs of age and under, and all individual participants 19 yrs of age and older.
6. SPACING A space of 75 feet between each unit will be enforced. All units should close the gap between units when instructed by parade officials.
7. NO ALCOHOL Alcoholic beverages are forbidden on any float, in any vehicle, or on the person of any participant. Participants consuming alcohol prior to or during the parade will be removed from the lineup. All city, county, and CO State statues concerning the consumption of alcoholic beverages will be strictly enforced by the police before, during, and after the parade.
8. DRIVERS OF VEHICLES in the parade areas must possess a valid driver’s license, be at least 18 years old, and possess all liability vehicle insurance. You will receive further details/instructions about proof of insurance in a follow-up email.
9. ANIMALS Livestock, reptiles, wild and domestic animals shall not be in the parade without prior written approval by the DBA Parade Committee. If approval is granted, all handlers of animals are required to make arrangements for clean up, if necessary, in the staging area and along the parade route. HORSES shall have 1 handler per horse along with clean up behind the horse. Horses must be crowd trained & not be startled easily as we will have cars, marching bands, children & dogs in attendance at the Parade.
10. SOUND We encourage you to play Christmas music, at a volume that is for your unit only and does not bleed into/affect other units. Sound of any type must be approved by the DBA Christmas Parade Committee and meet the Sound Ordinance Requirements set by the Town of Parker. Only Christmas /Holiday-themed music will be allowed. Music/sound volume should be lowered when approaching and passing by broadcasting/announcer’s areas.
11. COSTUMES worn by parade participants must conform to the standards of reasonable public taste. Costumes are to be family friendly and festive! Costumes should be Christmas/Holiday themed, but no participant may dress as Santa or Mrs. Claus – after all, we have already have the real ones in the parade!
12. PERFORMANCES by parade participants must follow the rules/guidelines contained in this document and any future notifications sent by the committee. Performances are to be family friendly and conform to the standards of reasonable public taste.
13. DECORATIONS/BANNERS The DBA Christmas Parade Committee will provide a banner in between each entry featuring your entry’s name and/or logo. Do not alter these banners. In addition, you may provide your own banner on your entry-all banners must be neatly lettered and legible.
14. CHILDREN PARTICIPATION POLICY Children will be permitted to participate with the following condition: There must be (1) adult chaperone provided for every ten (10) children.
15. DRONES All unmanned aerial systems, UAVs, drones, or other flying devices are strictly prohibited in downtown Parker and during the Parade, as per the Town of Parker Police Department.
16. Political Campaigning is NOT permitted. Politicians are welcome to participate in the parade but handing out of materials, flyers, etc. is not permitted.
FLOATS/VEHICLES
1. DECORATIONS All entries must be decorated with a Christmas/Holiday/Festive theme. Vehicles that are pulling floats should be incorporated as much as possible into the float and decorated accordingly.
2. FLOAT/VEHICLE SAFETY All floats must have handholds or stand up holds for each rider on the float. Any self-propelled float must have a spotter beside the float, who is in two-way communication (e.g. two-way radio) with the float driver. Participants may not jump on a float to ride and not interfere with any other unit in any way. Float capacity will not be exceeded. No participants will dismount from a float or exit a vehicle along the parade route. Participants will not have body parts, particularly legs and feet, extending past the sides, front or rear of the float/vehicle This is an extreme safety hazard.
3. THERE IS ONLY ONE SANTA AND ONE MRS CLAUS The DBA Parade Committee will secure Santa & Mrs. Claus for the parade. No other Santa’s or Mrs. Claus are allowed to participate.
4. FLOAT SIZE Float platforms should be at least 7 feet wide and 15 feet long with a fixed axle at/near the rear and a steer able axle at the front. Farm wagons make excellent platforms. Single or tandem axle trailers normally pulled by a car or truck are not desirable.
MARCHING BANDS/WALKING UNITS
1. FORWARD MOTION All marching units must maintain forward motion. Routines that cause gaps will not be permitted. Do not stop or reverse. Only Christmas theme music will be allowed.
2. MAINTAIN GAP OF 75 ft If for any reason a gap of greater than 75 feet is created, marching units must increase their pace to close the gap.
3. AGE REQUIREMENT/UNIFORM DRESS All members of any marching unit should be at least 10 years old. Participants must be suitably costumed. Walking groups must be dressed in uniform that easily identifies walkers as a part of the same group.
4. SEPARATE APPLICATIONS REQUIRED No vehicle will accompany marching units unless a separate application is submitted for the vehicle, to include payment of the separate application fee. This includes Bands and ROTC units (the “No Charge” code provided is valid ONLY for your marching unit.) Some Important Notes: Entrants who do not appear on parade day without prior notification to parade officials or entries that do not comply with the rules and regulations jeopardize future participation in the DBA Christmas Parade. The DBA Christmas Parade Committee reserves the right to accept or decline any entry. The DBA Christmas Parade Committee’s decision regarding all entries is final. Parade officials will withdraw any unit that does not comply with their instructions to turn down or turn off sound when instructed to do so. Failure to comply with the instructions of parade officials will result in immediate removal from the parade and jeopardize future participation.
