Venice Christmas Parade info on chair setup, road closures, parking, start times, and more

Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC

COV

Continuing an over 40-year-old tradition, the City of Venice Holiday Parade on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, is the perfect “kickoff” to the holiday season in Venice, Florida.

Thousands of enthusiastic and creative participants representing over 100 local companies, schools, churches, social organizations and music groups join together to make this community family event fun for all ages.

Tens of thousands of spectators line the parade route early to find and secure their perfect spot to enjoy the festivities.

Bring your appetite! Drinks and goodies are offered for sale by high school booster clubs, Scouts and local nonprofit service groups all along the parade route.

Pre-parade entertainment begins at 5:30 p.m. at Harbor Drive and Venice Avenue and at Nokomis and Venice avenues. Music begins to fill the air, the lighting of the downtown holiday decorations begin to sparkle with the sunset and the fun is just beginning .

Family friends and out-of-town guests will all enjoy this community centered holiday experience that you will never forget and keep you returning for years to come!

Parade Info

The Venice Holiday Parade returns to downtown Venice on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 26.

The parade officially begins at 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Park Blvd. and W. Venice Ave (south side). It will proceed on the north side of W. Venice Ave. after crossing over Harbor Drive. From there, it will make a turn on Nokomis Avenue and go all the way down to Turin Street. Floats will unload at the Venice Community Center. See below map.

For parade viewers wishing to be more socially distanced along the route, we encourage you to watch the parade from Nokomis Avenue.

In addition, Venice’s Boy Scout Troop 77 will again be collecting nonperishable food and monetary contributions from the public during the parade. The benefactor of these donations is the South County Food Pantry. The Scouts will walk the parade route just behind the Color Guard and Venice Police at the start of the parade at 6:30 p.m.

The City prohibits the throwing of candy and trinkets to spectators from floats and parade participants for everyone’s safety.

Road Closures

The parade route will be closed to all traffic at 3 p.m. Saturday. This includes both sides of W. Venice Ave. and N. Nokomis Ave. between Tampa and Venice avenues. Various streets surrounding City Hall will also be closed for staging floats. The impact spans east/west from the intersection of W. Venice Ave./Harbor Dr. to The Esplanade, and north/south from Barcelona Ave. to Armada Rd. S. These roadways will be open only to local traffic/residents and parade participants after 3 p.m. For public safety purposes, these closings may be adjusted as needed.

Early Setup of Chairs

Chairs may be placed along the parade route after 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23 by the public (at your own risk). No chairs set up or spectators allowed in the medians in the 100-300 blocks of W. Venice Ave. This is to both protect the plantings in the medians and avoid any trip hazard of stumps from palms lost in Hurricane Ian. Parade-goers are asked to please follow the posted signage.

No bleachers, couches, rope, stakes, tarps, canopies or mats please; these items will be removed by Public Works. Any chairs placed before 6 p.m. Wednesday will also be disposed of by Public Works.

Public parking is available Saturday at Venice High School.

Venice Christmas Parade info on chair setup, road closures, parking, start times, and more