The City of Richmond has announced its decision to cancel this year’s Christmas Parade, originally scheduled for December 4th. Instead, city officials will be modifying the Santa Express event in its place.
The reverse Christmas parade was originally slated to be held at the Ann L. Durham Lake Reba Recreational Complex, in an effort to adapt the traditional parade annually held on Main Street. However, a rising number of positive cases in Madison County from the ongoing pandemic and safety concerns for both participants and city staff lead to the cancellation of the event.
In its place, The Richmond Parks and Recreation Department will be conducting two “mini” parades on Monday, December 14th and Tuesday, December 15th.
“The Richmond Christmas Parade is one of the most cherished events for the City of Richmond. After the deadline for registration passed, we realized that the participation level for organizations and businesses had severely declined compared to year’s past,” said Erin Moore, Director of Recreation/Administration.
“As we know, many people are being very cautious this year, and we anticipate that is the reason for the decline in registration for this event.” The Richmond Parks and Recreation Department will be modifying their Santa Express event and will enlist the help of the Richmond Police and Fire Departments to escort Santa through several Richmond neighborhoods.
Parks & Rec officials say the intent is to bring Santa to the children, which will promote a safe and socially distanced environment. The Parks and Recreation Department will be posting Santa Express route maps and more detailed information within the next few days.
