Cox Pensacola Christmas Parade

Parade organizers expect this year’s parade to feature more than 50 floats with unique holiday themes. Additionally, 2009 will mark the debut of the Wind Creek blimp, a three-person manned blimp which will hover overhead and follow the parade route.

The annual parade, which draws over 50,000 people to downtown Pensacola, begins at 5:15 pm and will be televised live on WKRG-TV5. The Cox Pensacola Christmas Parade includes local bands from every high school in Escambia County, the nationally renowned Blue Angels flight team, groups from around the region, and as far away as Houston and New Orleans.

The Cox Pensacola Christmas Parade profits go to local high school band booster organizations to assist in the purchasing of uniforms and equipment and funding of travel expenses.

Preceding the parade is the popular 1.2 miles Christmas Parade Dash, sponsored by the Pensacola Runners Association. With nearly 400 participants each year, the Dash uses the Cox Pensacola Christmas parade route just prior to the start of the parade. The race begins at 5:00 pm and is a maze through the downtown area lined with thousands of people cheering. The course ends at Plaza Ferdinand where a large candy cane is handed to each finisher. For more information on the Christmas Parade Dash, please visit www.pensacolarunners.com.

For more information, to download an application or to view the parade route, please visit the parade website at www.pensacolachristmasparade.us.