• Saturday, December 14th, 2024

• The 2024 Children’s Christmas Parade will start at 9:00 am sharp, and usually lasts for approximately 1 hour.
• The expedited check-in process to enter the parade will start at 8:30 am and must be complete by 8:45 am.
  • *** All entries in the parade must pre-register by Friday 12/13/24: Click here to Register!

• This event is FREE to enter or watch, and is funded 100% through donations made to the Melbourne Beach Volunteer Firefighters Association, our not-for-profit organization.

• Any group, business, or individual can enter the parade as long as the entry is family friendly and fits the intended theme, which is a small town holiday parade, with the emphasis being on children & families.

• Pre-Registration is requested for all entries into the parade.
• All entries in the parade must be family friendly and fit the intended theme, which is a small town holiday parade, with the emphasis being on children & families.
  • As such the following are prohibited from entry into the parade:
    • Any entries that are used as political platform.
    • Any entries that are deemed to contain controversial or inappropriate subjects, themes, or messages.
    • Any entries that are used strictly to promote a business and that do not have a children’s holiday theme & decorations.
    • Any entries that have a live character dressed up as Santa. (Santa will already be in the parade)
• Items such as candy or beads may be tossed from your float or display, but must be thrown out of the parade route to keep children from running into the road.
• There must be an adult “wheel walker” on each side of all large vehicles, trailers, or floats in the parade for safety reasons.
• We ask that you provide plenty of stopping distance from the group in front of you for safety reasons.

** The Parade Marshal has the final say on the line up, as well as whether or not an entry is deemed to meet the above criteria. The Parade Marshal, on behalf of the MBVFD, reserves the right to remove any entry from parade, at any time, for any reason. **

YES!

• Pre-registration is required to be in the parade.  CLICK HERE to register  
• If you have trouble registering at the link above, you can call Fire Chief Brown at (321)724-1736 ext.1 to register over the phone.
• You will need to report to the check-in table at 8:30 am on the day of the event.  The check-in staff will already have your completed pre-registration, saving you time when you check in.

• The route this year will be the same as last year.  The parade will start at Rock Harbor Church FL (1805 Oak Street) in Melbourne Beach.  It will proceed north up Oak Street to Ocean Avenue.  The parade will turn at Ocean Avenue and proceed west down Ocean Avenue and ends at the Melbourne Beach Pier.  There is a Map of the parade route available in the Documents Section below.
• Historically, the route started at the Melbourne Beach Vol. Fire Station, and went down Ocean Avenue to the East.  The parade would then turn around at the Flag Pole at Ocean Park, and then come back down Ocean Avenue to the fire station.  This is why it was once joked that it was the only parade that would pass you by twice.  The route changed in 2018 due to FDOT regulations that made it nearly impossible to continue the original route.

• There are plenty of great spots to observe the parade along the new route.  Sidewalks line the East side of Oak street providing great viewing.  Additionally, all of the side streets will be blocked along the parade route, providing additional viewing areas for you to come out and support your block.  There is also great viewing along both sides of Ocean Avenue and from Ryckman Park.

• The Children’s Christmas Parade is fun and appropriate for all ages!

• Unfortunately NO,  the parade is always led by a fire engine for safety, and then followed by the local Boy Scout troop carrying the American Flag.

• Yes, there are bathrooms located in Ryckman Park that will be open for use during the Children’s Christmas Parade.

YES!  The Volunteer Firefighters Association will be holding their annual All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast immediately following the parade.  For more details visit the Pancake Breakfast Event Page.

• Yes, in the case of severe weather, the Children’s Christmas Parade will be rescheduled for a later date.  Check our website and/or our Facebook page at Facebook.com/mbvfd for current updates and information on our events.

• You can contact Fire Chief Brown at 321-724-1736 ext.1 or at FireChief@MelbourneBeachFL.org