GRANDSTAND BLEACHER SEATS ARE NOW ON SALE FOR
THE 92ND ANNIVERSARY OF HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE
SUPPORTING MARINE TOYS FOR TOTS,
LIVE PARADE TO BE PRESENTED ON THE STREETS OF HOLLYWOOD, CA
IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES ON
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2024, AT 6:00 P.M.
(Grandstand Bleacher Seats Open at 4:00 p.m.
With Pre-Parade Entertainment Beginning at 5:30 p.m.)
PARADE HOSTS TO INCLUDE:
DEAN CAIN & LAURA MCKENZIE, WITH
MONTEL WILLIAMS & ELIZABETH STANTON
Hollywood, CA (November 6, 2024) – Grandstand Bleacher Seats are now on sale for the 92nd Anniversary of The Hollywood Christmas Parade Supporting Marine Toys for Tots! The Parade will be hosted by Dean Cain and Laura McKenzie, with Montel Williams and Elizabeth Stanton. The live parade presented in association with The City of Los Angeles on the streets of Hollywood, CA on Sunday, December 1, 2024, starting at 6:00 p.m. Grandstand Bleacher Seats will open at 4:00 p.m., and Pre-Parade Entertainment will commence at 5:30 p.m. See the parade up close by purchasing Grandstand Bleacher Seats at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/
A cherished tradition in the Southland, The 92nd Anniversary of The Hollywood Christmas Parade Supporting Marine Toys for Tots, will kick off the holiday season with spectacular fanfare including movie cars, award-wining bands from around the country, dazzling equestrians, larger-than-life character balloons, colorful floats, and humorous specialty acts, culminating with the appearance of the Jolly Old Elf himself, Santa Claus and his reindeer.
Laura McKenzie, a Co-Host of the Parade said, “We look forward to bringing holiday cheer to all this year with the annual Hollywood Christmas Parade which has a charitable mission of bringing attention to Marine Toys for Tots and other organizations which help underprivileged people during this important giving season. Come be a part of this magical event where entertainment and philanthropy unite.”
Dean Cain, a Co-Host of the Parade said, “Come join us on December 1st as we celebrate the holidays in the streets of Hollywood, CA with all the pageantry and grandeur you have come to expect at past parades over the years. Whether it’s your first time, or 20th time, there’s nothing like seeing the joy and wonderment in the faces of children experiencing the parade. It’s a family affair for people of all ages and backgrounds.”
This year’s parade will include the following:
Novelties and Groups:
United States Marine Corps Band and Color Guard (San Diego, CA); Marines Humvee (Los Angeles, CA Recruiting for The Young Marines of Southern California representing six different units); Young Marines (Los Angeles, CA); Nate Truman’s Star Car Central; Air Force Honor Guard and Mini Jets; Gruppo Italy representing the Italian Renaissance Era (Flag-Wavers and Musicians Group of Faenza-Ravenna, Italy); PAVA World Traditional Korean Band (Los Angeles, California); Korean American Youth Performing Artists (KAYPA) (Chino, California); Roundtable of Southern California Chinese Organizations (Los Angeles, CA); 501st Legion Storm Troopers (Orange County, CA); Ghostbusters, fandom with purpose, partnering with charities (Los Angeles, CA); Lit Riderz (Bicycle Club from Southern California), Polaris Slingshots led by Porsche Taylor (Los Angeles, CA), Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA) and 3 Wheel Family consisting of T-Rex, Vanderhall, Spyder and Ryker Slingshots led by Mozzuz Smith (Los Angeles, CA).
Marching Bands:
The Pride of the Dutchman Marching Band representing MOC-Floyd Valley High School (Orange City, IA); Caporales Universitarios de San Simón, a cultural association promoting Bolivian folklore through the Caporales Dance (Los Angeles, CA); Burton Bulldog Marching Band from Burton Middle School (Porterville, CA): Gaston Elementary School District #32 Marching Band (San Luis, AZ); Northview High School Marching Band and Guard (Covina, CA); Ridge View High School Marching Band (Bakersfield, CA); Panamerican Institute (San Diego, CA); Moisés Castillo Ocaña Marching Band led by Victor Raúl Gonzaléz from Colegio Moisés Castillo Ocaña (Panamá City, Panamá); Pasadena Unified School District All-Star Band (Pasadena, CA); Van Nuys Cheer High School Junior and Senior Wolves Varsity (Van Nuys, CA) and Los Angeles Catholic Schools Band (Torrance, CA).
Dance Groups:
Rollettes Wheelchair Dance Team founded by Chelsie Hill (Sherman Oaks, CA): The Origin Hip Hop Performing Arts Academy (Carlsbad, CA); Gevorkian Dance Academy (Burbank, CA); Cubcakes Dance Hip-Hop and Morphing Crew created by Thalia Ramos (Burbank, CA); Pink Polish Dance Studio directed by Alexis McAfee (San Diego, CA); Divas and Drummers of Compton (Compton, CA) and Van Nuys Senior High School Cheer bonding current and alumni members and their fans (Van Nuys, CA).
Character Balloons:
Santa Grinch (35’), Cat In The Hat (50’), Santa Garfield (30’), Santa Elves (30’), Christmas Stocking (28”), Three Ornaments (16’) and Pirate and Chest.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @HollywoodChristmasParade
More About The Hollywood Christmas Parade:
2024 marks the 92nd Anniversary of the Hollywood Christmas Parade, an American tradition. The live parade is produced by Associated Television International and presented in association with The City of Los Angeles on the streets of Hollywood, CA. This year’s celebration will be held on Sunday, December 1, 2024, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Since 1928 the live Hollywood Christmas Parade has been a loved and cherished annual holiday tradition enjoyed by Angelenos, as well as by millions watching the televised airings of the parade nationally on The CW Network and internationally on Armed Forces Network around the world. The only exceptions were during World War II from 1942 to 1944 when the parade wasn’t presented, and in 2020, when highlights telecast of parades over the last 10 years was presented, due to the COVID 19 global pandemic. The parade was then presented live again in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and returns this year to celebrate its 92nd Anniversary live in the streets of Hollywood, CA!
Grand Marshals who have appeared in The Hollywood Christmas Parade during the last 91 years include: Jeanette Loft, Joe E. Brown, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Bob Hope, Art Linklater, Lawrence Welk, Charlton Heston, Dale Evans and Roy Rogers, Danny Thomas, Mary Pickford, Dick Van Dyke, Robert Vaughn, Pat Boone, Fred McMurray, Buddy Ebsen, Walter Matthau, Ernest Borgnine, Johnny Mathis, General Robert E. Cushman, Jr., John Wayne, General Omar Bradley, James Stewart, Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood, Ron Howard, George Peppard, Michael Landon, William Shatner, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Tony Danza, Sammy Davis, Jr., Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr, Bob and Dolores Hope, Louis Gossett, Jr., David Hasselhoff, Robert Urich, Beau Bridges, Dennis Hopper and Frankie Muñiz, Peter Fonda, Mickey Rooney, Johnny Grant, Magic Johnson, Antonio Villaraigosa, George López, Bob Barker, Joy and Regis Philbin, Susan Lucci, Larry King, Marie Osmond, Joe Mantegna, Buzz Aldrin, Stevie Wonder, Penn & Teller, Olivia Newton-John, Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, Nancy O’Dell, Mario Lopez, Sheryl Underwood, Danny Trejo and Colonel Paris D. Davis.
The Hollywood Christmas Parade was originally called the Santa Claus Lane Parade. When the American performer Gene Autry, who was known as The Singing Cowboy, was riding on his horse down Hollywood Boulevard in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade, he heard young parade spectators in the crowd exclaim, “Here comes Santa Claus!” This incident became the inspiration for Autry to compose the traditional perennial Christmas holiday song, “Here Come’s Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane),” which he co-wrote with Oakley Haldeman in 1949. Autry first recorded the song in 1947. The song was released as a single by Columbia Records, and became a #5 country and #9 pop hit at the time. Gene Autry is the only celebrity to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one in each of the five categories, Motion Pictures, Radio, Recording, Television and Live Theater. Today the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard at Highland Avenue, part of the Hollywood Christmas Parade route, is named Gene Autry Square.
The live parade features 5,000 participants and will be taped for multiple nationwide network television broadcasts to be aired during the holiday season. The parade will travel along a 3.2-mile U-shaped route starting at Orange Street and Hollywood Boulevard traveling east on Hollywood Boulevard to Vine Street, turning south on Vine Street to Sunset Boulevard, and then turning west on Sunset Boulevard traveling back to Orange Street.
The Origin and Evolution of the Marine Toys for Tots Program 77 Years Ago:
Toys for Tots began in 1947 as the brainchild of Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks. Actually, it was his wife, Diane Hendricks, who was the real inspiration. She had a few handcrafted dolls and asked Bill to deliver them to an agency that supports children in need.
When Bill Hendricks reported back to his wife that he could not find such an organization, she instructed him to “start one!” Major Hendricks and the Marines in his reserve unit in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys in 1947. Seeing such successful community engagement in 1947, the Commandant directed all Marine Reserve Sites to implement a Toys for Tots campaign, transforming it into a national community action program in 1948.
Bill Hendrick’s civilian job was Director of Public Relations at Warner Brothers Studios. He had many celebrity friends who he asked to help support the newly created Marine Toys for Tots Program. As a personal friend and as a favor to Bill Hendricks, Walt Disney designed the first Toys for Tots poster, which included a miniature three-car train that was subsequently adopted as the Toys for Tots logo.
The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charity, was established in 1991 at the behest of the Marine Corps to help run and support the Marine Toys for Tots Program. The Foundation raises funds, purchases toys, provides promotional and support materials, manages all funds raised and donated, solicits corporate support, educates the public, and handles day-to-day operations. Presently, the Marine Toys for Tots Program distributes an average of 18 million toys to 7 million less fortunate children annually. To learn more, please visit: https://toyfortots.org
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