City of Gainesville’s daylong holiday festivities begin Saturday

Published on December 04, 2024

Holiday-Parade.jpg

More than 110 dance troupes, marching bands, floats and community groups will make their way down University Avenue in the 2024 A Very GNV Holiday Parade. Media personality and four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal will appear as its grand marshal.

The parade is the first of several city events downtown this Saturday to usher in the holiday season. All events are free and open to the public.

2024 A Very GNV Holiday Parade

  • When: Noon-2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7
  • Start: intersection of W. University Avenue and W. Sixth Street
  • End: 620 E. University Ave. (ACPS Admin Bldg.)

Holiday Kids’ Dance Party

  • When: 1-3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7
  • Where: Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E. University Ave.

Holiday Lights Celebration

  • When: 5-8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7
  • Where: The Historic Thomas Center, 302 N.E. Sixth Ave.

Traffic impacts

  • NW Sixth Street between W. University Avenue and NW Eighth Avenue will serve as the staging area for parade entries and will close at 7 a.m. Saturday until the final entry enters the parade route.
  • University Avenue from W. Seventh Street to E. Seventh Street will close at 11 a.m. Saturday and reopen gradually as the final entry travels the parade route.
  • Buses along certain Regional Transit System (RTS) routes will experience delays Saturday. Visit the city’s RTS website for details.

#GNVholidayparade is the official hashtag of the parade. Neighbors are invited to tag the city when posting photos online, using @GainesvilleFL on Facebook; and @gainesvillefla on Instagram.

The parade will be livestreamed on the city’s Facebook page. It will be recorded for replay on Community 12TV, and the city’s YouTube channel, and available on demand after the event on GNV TV through Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices.

Thank you to the sponsors of A Very GNV Holiday Parade!

City of Gainesville Holiday Parade Sponsors

Platinum ($10,000)

Cox Communications

UF Health

Gold ($5,000)

The Collier Companies

Community Foundation of North Central Florida

GFL Environmental, Gainesville, FL Branch

Monterey Boats

Morgan & Morgan

Pavlov Media

 Santa Fe College

Viking Property Management

Sapphire ($1,500)

Akira Wood

Audi Gainesville

Becker & Poliakoff, P.A.

CampusUSA Credit Union

Children’s Trust of Alachua County

Cynthia Moore Chestnut

D.E. Scorpio Corporsation

EDA

Eden Park at Ironwood

Gainesville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

 Gainesville Housing Authority

Gainesville Regional Airport

Gainesville Regional Utilities

Gatorland Toyota/BMW of Gainesville

Mainstreet Daily News

Mercedes-Benz of Gainesville

Oelrich Construction, Inc.

Trimark Properties

 

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