CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Before we get to Black Friday, we must first eat our turkey, enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie and celebrate Thanksgiving.
And what better way than the 71st annual Novant Health Thanksgiving Parade in uptown? One of the Queen City's most closely held traditions, the parade dates back to 1947 and only gets better every year.
This year's parade will be no exception, featuring 17 floats and more than a dozen marching bands. Among those floats will be a commemoration of Charlotte's 258th anniversary. The city's skyline will be featured using buildings that were once a part of the old scoreboard at Spectrum Center, such as Fifth Third Bank, the Westin hotel and Bank of America corporate headquarters.
"This is such a great Charlotte tradition. It's one of the things that we love to do because it brings the community together, all walks of life in uptown Charlotte," said Adam Rhew with Charlotte Center City Partners.
The 2018 parade starts at 9 a.m. and will travel about a mile south down Tryon Street from 9th Street to Stonewall Street. Rhew said anyone coming to the parade should give themselves plenty of time to get parked and settled along the parade route.
"We would also recommend people take the light rail in," Rhew said. "Just park and ride, take the train in and then it's a short walk over."
Rhew said pets are allowed but organizers ask that you leave your pets home. The noise and large crowds can be overwhelming for dogs and not everyone is comfortable with a strange dog around them.
The parade will be capped off, of course, with an appearance from Santa Claus, ushering in the holiday season and countdown to Christmas.
Here's a list of the road closures ahead of the parade:
Tuesday, November 20
- Tryon Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Stonewall Street: Tuesday, November 20 at 10 a.m. until Thursday, November 22 at 8 p.m.
- Levine Avenue of the Arts between Church and Tryon streets: Tuesday, November 20 at 6 p.m. until Thursday, November 22 at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, November 21
- Tryon Street between 9th and 11th streets, including side streets: Wednesday, November 21 at 6 p.m. until Thursday, November 22 at 2 p.m.
Thursday, November 22
- Tryon Street between Morehead and 11th streets, including side streets: Thursday, November 22 at 8 a.m. until Thursday, November 22 at 2 p.m.
