Happy Holly Days Parade

Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023 | 10 a.m.

The Happy Holly Days Parade is held the second Saturday of December. Floats, bands, dancers, decorated vehicles, marching groups and all sorts of entertaining entries travel Main Street through downtown. 

The parade begins on Main Street near its intersection at Oakhall Drive, in front of the Food Lion shopping center - a few blocks farther north than in previous years. The route continues down Main Street, through downtown Holly Springs, ending at Oak Avenue, just past The Block on Main.

The BEST PLACE to Watch the Parade

Your best chance of getting a front-row location to enjoy the parade is along the Main Street sidewalk north of Holly Springs Road. The sidewalk from the Food Lion shopping center south to Main Street will be an ideal parade-viewing location.

Downtown Holly Springs is a popular – almost too popular – parade viewing location. Sometimes parade viewers are multiple rows deep, which can make seeing the parade difficult, especially for children.

Need an accessible location to watch the parade? Try the Food Lion shopping center! Accessible parking with a view of the parade is available there, but arrive early. Roads near the parade close to traffic at 8 a.m. The segment of Main Street between Cayman and Crossway remains open for drivers wishing to access handicapped parking only between 8-9:45 a.m.

At 8 a.m., vehicles on Oakhall Drive will flow one way, from north to south, to allow for parade lineup along this road. Click here or on the map for an enlarged view of parade detours and road closures.

Parking

Wondering where to park? Consider parking at a nearby park or school and walking to Main Street. Nearby Womble Park, the Hunt Center, and Jones Park next to Holly Springs Elementary are good options.

The Town has more than 600 public parking spaces downtown. Locations within a 3-minute walk include the parking lots and deck around Town Hall, portions of Ballentine Street, and lots along Avent Ferry Road near Ballentine and Rogers streets. Holly Springs Cultural Center is a 5-minute walk to the parade route. Consider parking at a nearby park or school and walking to Main Street.

Accessible parking with a view of the parade is available at Food Lion. 

Remember to arrive early. Roads near the parade close to traffic at 8 a.m.

Parade Safety

The Town will have numerous public safety officers along the parade route, so flag one down immediately if there is an injury or concern, or call 911.

Parade viewers will notice additional traffic barriers spaced along the parade route to enhance safety measures. Constructed of heavy-duty plastic and filled with water, they provide an additional barrier between vehicles in the parade and people viewing the parade. Please do not sit on these barriers; you are welcome to sit or stand behind them.

As always, parade participants are instructed not to throw items such as candy to people viewing the parade along the route. Parade participants may pass out items to viewers, however. If you are not in the parade, please do not enter the Main Street roadway during the parade.

Lost and found is located at the parade announcers' stage in the parking lot across Main Street from Town Hall.

Parade Vehicle Safety Guidelines

• Any unsafe or erratic operations will not be tolerated. The parade organizers and/or their designees reserve the right to immediately exclude and/or remove any vehicle or participant, at any time from participating in the parade they believe imposes a risk to the public’s safety
• Participants driving vehicles will be required to provide the following within 7 days of the parade:

1. Copy of Drivers License
2. Copy of Vehicle Registration
3. Copy of Proof of Insurance

• Vehicle operators can be no less than 25 years of age and must have a valid driver’s license.