Don’t miss the pageantry and excitement of the 2013 WRAL Raleigh Christmas Parade! Downtown Raleigh will kick off the holiday season with festivities beginning Saturday, November 23rd at 9:40am.
Presented by Shop Local Raleigh, this annual event is the largest parade between Atlanta and Washington D.C. Over 65,000 people will line the street, in addition to 250,000 thousand more watching at home.
The grand marshal of this year’s parade is North Carolina’s own reality television star, Project Runway finalist, and inspiration to all, Justin LeBlanc. Raised in the heart of Raleigh, N.C., LeBlanc currently teaches at North Carolina State University in the College of Art and Design. Born deaf, LeBlanc has relied on artificial means throughout his life to provide some resemblance of sound. His lack of hearing heightened his other senses resulting in a perception of the world that inspired the idea and direction of his own artistic explorations in art, fashion, and storytelling.
Leblanc will be featured on an innovative float highlighting the groundbreaking Art2Wear competition at North Carolina State University. Art2Wear is a student-organized runway show that presents fashion, costume, and wearable sculpture created by the students of the NC State University College of Design and College of Textiles. This annual event hosted by the NC State College of Design, in collaboration with the College of Textiles, attracts an audience of 4,000 and growing each year.
The parade is hosted by WRAL-TV morning news personalities Bill Leslie and Kelcey Carlson, with Elizabeth Gardner serving as street-side reporter. Coverage on WRAL will begin at 10am.
Now in its 69th year, the mile long parade will feature 115 entries, including energizing bands, themed floats, super-sized balloons, marchers, twirlers, and tons of fun! Come out early to grab your spot, and enjoy plenty of pre-Parade entertainment!
About Shop Local Raleigh
Shop Local Raleigh is part of a growing national movement of communities rallying to support their independent businesses. The Raleigh affiliate of AMIBA was started in April 2009 and already has approximately 360 local business members.
SLR welcomes local, independently owned businesses of all kinds. Businesses and consumers can learn more at www.shoplocalraleigh.org.
