The parade will depart from Lewiston Road in Grosse Pointe Farms and end at Cadieux Road in Grosse Pointe Park, traveling along Kercheval Avenue. The event will display an exciting variation of festive floats, local marching bands, and dance teams along with different community groups. Abigail Turnbull, the membership and event coordinator for the Chamber of Commerce, explained how they arranged the event.
“We start planning the parade for the next year before the current year’s parade has even happened,” Turnbull said. “The date is always the day after Thanksgiving, which is the easy part, but we start the logistical planning right after the parade every year. There are always so many pieces of feedback to manage from participants and spectators, and taking all that into account is what kicks off next year’s planning.”
The parade, an age-old tradition for Grosse Pointe, was originally started by a group of neighborhood women who wanted to bring some holiday joy to their community. As it expanded, the Village business owners took over the route and eventually the Chamber of Commerce assumed the role of running it in 2012. Lieutenant Thomas Martindale of the Grosse Pointe Department of Public Safety spoke on the safety procedures that will be implemented at the event.
“We have an annual meeting with all the public safety directors, parade organizers, Lions club [volunteers], Department of Public Works, and the Detroit Parade Company— which provides several large floats,” Martindale said. “We discuss safety measures and how we can improvise them. We also stay in contact to speak about matters as the parade date approaches.”
Safety remains the prime concern in the preparation for the event. The police department is extra cautious regarding the great number of spectators at the parade, especially small children.
“We have personnel positioned at all main intersections, police mountain bike officers patrol the area continuously, and drones provide a bird’s-eye view of the parade,” Martindale said. “Officers are also strategically placed throughout the Village.”
The 2024 parade will present several pristine and entertaining floats that are larger including some from the Detroit Parade Company. Police safety officers will assist with bringing these floats to the staging area.
“Everyone that gets involved in the parade leads to the success of it,” Turnbull said. “From the volunteers to the leaders of the organization, every single person involved makes it happen.”
