Old Fashioned Christmas Parade presented by the
Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce

Nov 29 - Dec 2, 2012

Parade on Fri - Nov 30th - 7:15 PM

 

Now in its 34th year, the Mars Drinks Old Fashioned Christmas Parade in West Chester evokes the aura of Norman Rockwell paintings. A small historic town hosts a big-time parade and everyone comes out to support it. The parade was recently named by USA Today as one of the top ten places to experience the arrival of Santa Claus during the holiday season.

The 1-mile parade route travels through the heart of the historic business district. More than 30,000 spectators closely line the route, much like an experience on "Main Street USA." The entire parade route is free and open to the general public.

Participating marching bands compete for the chance to win a portion of more than $5,000 in prize money. This is one of the few competitive parade opportunities remaining on the east coast for high school bands. A panel of expert judges, who have DCI and WGI experience, lends credibility and excitement to the competition.

This year's highlights:

• 6ABC’s Karen Rogers and Adam Joseph will be emceeing the parade
• Check out the Wells Fargo “Light the Night” show located at the corner of High and Market Streets
• Don’t miss all new this year our Patrotic Division “Celebrate the Military” with appearances by the US Air Force, US Coast Guard, Welcome Home Vets float, Silver Dolphins Drill Team and more!
• Check out Fulton Bank’s “Strike Up the Band” competition featuring over 15 area schools
• All new Holiday Festival on High Street – stop by Mars Drinks tent and receive a FREE cup of Hot Chocolate or any other hot beverage
• Last but not least, Santa makes his arrival to West Chester!

West Chester is located in Chester County, just 30 minutes west of Philadelphia or 2.5 hours from Washington, DC and New York City. The Mars Drinks Old Fashioned Christmas Parade gives bands a great opportunity to take a pre-holiday journey and compete in a custom-designed parade.

Don’t forget to check out all of the Open Houses throughout the night and enjoy many other festivities during the weekend. Information can be found by (clicking) here

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