The Silver City MainStreet Project is excited to share the participant application for the 34th Annual Lighted Christmas Parade.
CELEBRATE This Years Parade on Saturday November 30th at 7:00.
The entry fee is $10.00 (Cash or Check accepted).
The theme will be CELEBRATE. We are excited to see what you create!
The DEADLINE FOR ENTRY IS 12:00 PM ON THURSDAY NOVEMBER 21, 2024 in person at Murray Ryan Visitor Center or email SCMSinfo@silvercitymainstreet.com.
We are excited to once again offer prizes of MainStreet Gift Certificates awarded to the top entries in each of the three categories (see application for categories): 1st Place $75, 2nd Place $50, and 3rd Place $25.
Floats must be family friendly, safe, and well lit. Please do not distribute anything from the floats.
Thank you for helping to make the holiday season magical in downtown Silver City!
Parade Entry Information
The 34th Annual Lighted Christmas Parade will be on Saturday, November 30, 2024 from 7pm to 8pm. The deadline for entry applications is Thursday November 21st at 12:00 pm. The Lighted Christmas parade is sponsored by the Silver MainStreet Project and the Town of Silver City.
All entries are judged for awards. Judges consider three criteria in assigning points to the entries:
- child appeal
- lighting
- originality
Entries are judged in three categories:
- commercial
- nonprofit/civic
- individual
Awards are for first, second, and third place in each category along with MainStreet Gift Certificates this year!
Parade entries will be assigned a line-up position on the Monday before the parade. You will need to bring your parade entry to your assigned space by 6:00 pm and have all your participants ready to go by 6:30 pm.
Rules for Parade entries:
- Candy and other items may not be thrown from floats or handed out during the parade.
- The height limit for floats is 15 feet due to overhead wires on Bullard.
- All headlights on towing vehicles should be partially covered or dimmed. (Construction paper with slits or colored cellophane paper works well)
- Only holiday music may be broadcast.
- All children on floats must be seated.
- All entries must be well lit.
Float Building Tips for the Lighted Christmas Parade
Materials:
- Smaller trailers are generally better – the more float you have, the more lights you’ll need. Remember the 15-foot height limit. A small, brightly lit float will have more impact than a large, dark one. Non-float entries are also welcome – cars, service vehicles, bikes, and people are all great if they are well lit.
- Remember only things that are lit will show. You can use virtually anything to build your float – just spray it with flat, black paint. Cardboard, chicken wire, drywall screws, twist ties, zip-ties, and paper clips all work well.
- Be creative – lights under quilt batting are good for snow, crumpled gold paper with lights under it looks like fire.
Lighting:
- Remember only things that are lit will show. If you have people on your float, you need to have lighting specifically for them. The glow from decorative lights is generally not enough to see faces in the dark. The same goes for signs and any decorative elements that are meant to be seen in their entirety.
- There are three traditional ways to light an entry:
- Flood lights can light a scene staged on the float. (Try to position them so that they don’t blind the crowd.)
- Strings of lights can outline a shape – try poking them through a large sheet of cardboard or fine mesh chicken wire, taping them onto a surface (the tape disappears at night), or attaching them to a three-dimensional frame such as a Christmas tree.
- Light a shape internally so that it glows.
- Spectators love to know who designed or sponsored a float, so you should have a sign that is well lit. A cutout sign with backlighting works well. Rope lights or strings of lights taped very close together in the shape of letters can also look nice. Or you can always just put a spotlight on a normal sign.
- All headlights on towing vehicles should be covered with colored cellophane paper or construction paper with a narrow slit in it, to avoid flood lighting the float in front of you.
- Use a lot of lights! LED lights are a great choice because they use 10% of the power of regular lights, meaning you can use a lot more per outlet and per power source. Supplies may be limited, so plan ahead and buy early.
Power:
- All entries must have a self-contained power source. Most entries use generators and the vehicle’s plug-in power source. For vehicles without a power source, use the cigarette lighter with an inverter. A 200w inverter is okay, but a 400w inverter is best. The parade lasts an hour. If you’re using batteries, you’ll need car-sized ones.
- Do not cover your generator with anything. Although your generator may seem loud when you’re testing it out, remember that downtown streets are large and crowded during the parade – the crowd won’t notice your generator. You may play music if you wish, but it will need to be quite loud to be heard.
- Test your generator, lights, and music before you get to the parade. Be sure the generator is full of gas. Start the generator first; let it run for a few minutes, then plug in the lights – do not turn on the generator with the lights plugged in! If your lights dim when the music is on, you have too much load on the circuit.
- Put no more than 3 strands of regular lights for one plug, or up to 40 strands of LED lights.
- Make sure to follow instructions that come with your lights! Too many strings connected together will blow out the tiny fuses in your light strings – these are tough to change normally, but nearly impossible to change on a moving float in the dark in the middle of a parade.
- Non-float Entries can be lit with battery packs, solar lights, or glow sticks.
Judging:
- Judging will be based on three criteria: child appeal, lighting, and originality.
Other:
- Expect the unexpected! Take a small toolbox with you to the parade with a can of black paint, electrical tape, duct tape, spray adhesive, wire, and some extra little bulbs.
The Lighted Christmas Parade is sponsored by Silver City MainStreet Project and Town of Silver City.
For more information, call 575-534-1700.