Santa Claus appears at the Raleigh Christmas Parade.
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, marks the return of a Triangle holiday tradition: The Raleigh Christmas Parade broadcast live on WRAL.
Tens of thousands of people will line the streets while thousands more will watch from home. Presented by Shop Local Raleigh, the Raleigh Christmas Parade is the largest Christmas parade between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta.
Route
The 1.4-mile long parade starts at Hillsborough Street and St. Mary’s Street at 9:45 a.m.
From there, the parade will:
- Travel east on Hillsborough Street
- Turn right at the Capitol onto Salisbury Street
- Turn left onto Morgan Street
- Make a final turn down Fayetteville Street
- End at Lenoir Street around noon
A parade map can be downloaded on the event website.
Watch from home
WRAL-TV’s morning team, including Renee Chou, Jeff Hogan and Brian Shrader, will host WRAL’s live coverage from Hillsborough Street in downtown Raleigh starting at 9:30 a.m.
The parade will also be streamed live on WRAL.com, on the WRAL-TV Facebook page, in the WRAL News app on your mobile device or on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. It will be rebroadcast on Christmas Day from 3 to 5 p.m. on WRAL-TV.
Get more information on watching the parade from home.
Stay tuned for surprises
The 2017 parade featured 115 entries, including marching bands, festive floats, giant balloons, animals, entertainers and specialty vehicles.
Special holiday surprises for 2018 will be announced closer to the event.
Tips for watching in person
Going to the parade? Check out Go Ask Mom’s guide for tips for families and how to get the best vantage point.
Thanks to WRAL.com for this capcom story, graphic & video.