An Over 65 year Community tradition!
Parade Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023 at 5:30 PM
2023 Parade Theme: Christmas Around The World
Grand Marshal: The Gray Fami
Our Sponsors
About The Parade
Parade Route & Street Closures
The Parade Route:
The route begins at the intersection of SE 25th Avenue and Ft. King Street, moving North to E Silver Springs Blvd. It turns left/West onto the Boulevard and goes 1.6 miles to NE 8th Avenue. The parade then turns right/North onto 8th Avenue, ending at NE 3rd Street, just before Tuscawilla Park. The parade starts promptly at 5:30.
Road Closures:
The roads around the route will close at 3:00 PM. Please CLICK HERE for a post from the City of Ocala Facebook post for detailed information.
MANDATORY Packet Pickup
The MANDATORY Packet Pickup meeting will be Tuesday, November 14th at 5:30 PM in the Ocala Police Department Community Room - 402 South Pine Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
As noted here on our website and in your application, all participants must send a representative to attend the Packet Pickup & Police Safety Meeting to pick up parking passes for vehicles that will be in the Parade, as well as receive any additional instructions for participation in the parade.
Someone from your organization must attend this meeting or you will not be allowed to participate in the parade.
About our Grand Marshals - Ryan, Kait & Palmer Gray
The Friends of the Christmas Parade are honored to announce this year's Grand Marshals: RYAN,KAIT & PALMER GRAY.
They were chosen because of their outstanding contributions to our community.
Ryan and Kait Gray started McKenzie’s moment, a 501(c)(3) charity-based here in Ocala, Florida, in 2018 after the passing of the youngest daughter, McKenzie.
In an effort to give back to the community that took care of the Gray’s during their darkest days, McKenzie’s Moment was created to offer hope and opportunity to women and children in need through health, education, and welfare initiatives within the city of Ocala, FL. Over the past 5 years, McKenzie’s Moment has donated over $3,000,000 into the city of Ocala, through Christmas Toy Drives, Birthday Clubs, School Safety Initiatives in partnership with the Public Education Foundation of Marion County and most notably, a $1.7M donation to help create the McKenzie Kearney Gray Maternal Fetal Medicine Program at Advent Health Ocala.
The Gray’s hold the Annual “McKenzie’s Moment Invitational” each spring at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian club. This event draws in 200+ amateur players who are paired with their celebrity playing partners! For
more information about this event or how you can get involved with McKenzie’s Moment, please visit https://mckenzies-moment.com/ (https://mckenzies-moment.com/)
application acceptance
Applications for 2023 are now Open!
Applications close on October 27, 2023.
Mandatory Packet Pickup Meeting for Accepted Applications will be November 14th at 5:30PM.
Contact Us
Friends of the Christmas Parade, Inc. is an all-volunteer organization. Our committee will make every effort to quickly respond to your questions, but ask for your patience in responding to your emails regarding applications, mandatory packet pickup, and bleacher seating.
Email: OcalaParade@gmail.com
Friends of the Christmas Parade, Inc.
5184 SE 20th Street, Ocala, FL 34480
Copyright © 2023 Friends of the Christmas Parade - All Rights Reserved.
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