2022 RULES

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.

1. NO MATERIALS MAY BE THROWN ALONG THE PARADE ROUTE. WALKERS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAND MATERIALS TO SPECTATORS.
2. No units may stop forward motion for performances except in the areas designated by the DBA Christmas Parade Committee. This stop may not exceed 90 seconds.
3. A space of 15 feet between each unit will be enforced. All units are required to close gap between units when instructed by parade officials. Failure to do so may warrant removal from the parade.
4. 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 NC State statues concerning the consumption of alcoholic beverages will be strictly enforced by the police before, during, and after the parade.
5. Drivers of any and all vehicles in the parade areas must possess a valid driver’s license, be at least 18 years old, and possess all liability vehicle insurance.
6. Livestock, reptiles, wild and domestic animals shall not be in the parade unless prior written approval by the DBA Parade Committee is obtained.If approval is granted, all handlers of animals are required to make prior arrangements for clean up, if necessary, in the staging area and along the parade route. HORSES shall be diapered and 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.
7. Use of high intensity sound making devices is strongly discouraged. 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 theme music will be allowed.  Music/Sound will be turned off when approaching and passing by any broadcasting/announcers areas. 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.
8. Costumes worn by parade participants must meet the rules set by the DBA Christmas Parade Committee and conform to the standards of reasonable public taste.  Costumes are to be family friendly.  Costumes can be Christmas themed, but no participant may dress as Santa or Mrs. Claus.
9. Performances by parade participants must meet the rules set by the DBA Christmas Parade Committee and conform to the standards of reasonable public taste.  Performances are to be family friendly.
10. Political Campaigning is not permitted.  Politicians are welcome to participate in the parade but handing out of materials, flyers, etc. is not permitted.

NOTICE:  Entrants that 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 does not accept the responsibility for travel, food, or lodging expense of any unit.  Application fees are non-refundable for accepted entries, each entry must pay the appropriate fee.  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. 

FLOATS

1. Vehicles that are pulling floats should be incorporated as much as possible into the float and decorated accordingly.
2. All entries must be decorated according to a Christmas theme. All banners must be neatly lettered and legible. The DBA Christmas Parade Committee is providing a segway banner in between each entry and will have the entries name and / or logo. These banners are all uniformed to each other and can not be altered. You are welcome to have your own banner on your entry.
3. 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.
4. Participants must be costumed according to the parade theme, with no participant dressed as Santa Claus or Mrs. Claus.
5. No participants may 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 during the parade route. Participants will not have body parts, particularly legs and feet, extending past the sides, front or rear of the float. This is an extreme safety hazard.
6. The DBA Parade Committee will secure Santa & Mrs. Claus for the parade. No other Santas or Mrs. Claus are allowed to participate.
7. 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.

BANDS – MARCHING/WALKING UNITS

1. All marching units must maintain forward motion. Routines that cause gaps will not be permitted. Stopping or reversing motion will result in removal from the parade and will jeopardize future participation. Only Christmas theme music will be allowed.
2. No unit may stop forward motion to perform except in areas designated by the DBA Parade Committee. Performance stops may not last more than 90 seconds.
3. If for any reason a gap of greater than 20 feet is created, marching units must increase their pace to close the gap.
4. 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.
5. 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.)