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Parade of Holiday Freebies

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Everyone loves a parade, and why not? They are fun, festive, and best of all–FREE!

With the holidays fast approaching cities from coast-to-coast are prepping to host a cornucopia of family-friendly parades. The granddaddy of them all is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. It is the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States and attracts millions of spectators each year.

However, you don’t have to spend a ton of money traveling to the Big Apple to take in the sights and sounds of these colorful moving spectacles. Rather, gather the kids and grab a piece of sidewalk in your own hometown to view marching bands, floats, character balloons, and Santa tossing free candy to all the good little boys and girls lining the parade route.

If you live in sunny San Diego you have a plethora of holiday parades to choose from including:

North Park Toyland Parade: The annual holiday parade takes place on December 1st and will feature live music, floats, vintage cars, dance groups, beauty queens, city officials and Santa. The colorful marching display is followed by a holiday fair behind the historic North Park Theatre.

Gaslamp Holiday Pet Parade: On December 9th you and your furry friends can take part in this unique Christmas-themed event. Owners and their dressed-up pets march down the decorated streets of the Gaslamp neighborhood and make merry in the process. The parade ends at a Pet Expo featuring an awards ceremony for the best costumed critters.

Port of San Diego Parade of Lights: The 41st version of this popular maritime parade takes place on December 9th and 16th. Your entire clan can enjoy watching a flotilla of private boats decked out in twinkling holiday lights. More than 100 vessels travel along the waters of San Diego Bay in all their sparkling glory. The best views can be had on land from Shelter Island, Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village, Marina Park and Coronado’s Ferry Landing.

Related Articles:

Family-Friendly Fall Travel Deals

Turkey Day Travel Bargains

Let the Holiday Deals Begin

This entry was posted in Seasonal Travel by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.