Christmas parade, tree-lighting kick off holiday season

Downtown streets will be closed along the annual parade route beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. The lighting of the new holiday tree at St. Armands Circle will take place Friday evening.


The Sarasota Downtown Christmas Parade is this weekend.
The Sarasota Downtown Christmas Parade is this weekend.
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The holiday season officially begins this weekend in Sarasota, starting with the lighting of the new holiday tree at St. Armands Circle at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2. This year, the tree lighting is set against the backdrop of the first — and for the time being the last — six-week Holiday Spectacular in Circle Park

On Saturday, the annual Christmas parade hosted by Sarasota Holiday Celebrations will be held downtown from 7-9 p.m. The parade route is Main Street starting at U.S. 301 and ending at J.D. Hamel Park at Gulfstream Avenue.

Street closures for the parade are scheduled as following:

  • 9 a.m. Saturday to 12:30 a.m. Sunday: Main Street between Orange Avenue and U.S. 301. Osprey to US 301.
  • 11 a.m. Saturday to 12:30 a.m. Sunday: Main Street between U.S. 41 and Orange Avenue.
  • Noon Saturday to 12:30 a.m. Sunday: 
  • Main Street between U.S. 301 and School Avenue.
  • Fletcher Avenue between Main Street and Fruitville Road.
  • Wallace Avenue between Main Street and Fruitville Road.
  • East Avenue between Fruitville Road and Ringling Boulevard.
  • School Avenue between Main Street and Fruitville Road.
  • Audubon Place between Main Street and Fruitville Road.
  • First Street  between Audubon Place and East Avenue.
  • 2:30 p.m. Saturday to 12:30 a.m. Sunday: Lemon Avenue between First Street and Main Street.
  • 3 p.m. Saturday to 12:30 a.m. Sunday: Gulfstream Avenue between U.S. 41 and McAnsh Square.

 

author

Andrew Warfield

Andrew Warfield is the Sarasota Observer city reporter. He is a four-decade veteran of print media. A Florida native, he has spent most of his career in the Carolinas as a writer and editor, nearly a decade as co-founder and editor of a community newspaper in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

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