Throughout December, parades, Christmas shows, and lights take over downtowns, pubs, and street corners and bring holiday cheer to communities across the Central Valley.

On Saturday, Clovis returns the Children’s Electric Christmas Parade for its 34th year hosted by the Old Town Kiwanis Club.

The parade features floats with festive lights, as well as marching bands, and draws as many as 20,000 spectators.

COVID-19 Affected Attendance for Recent Holiday Events

The parade’s organizer, Taylor Hillman, says they expect this year’s attendance to be larger than in previous years after the parade was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, the parade was brought back, but attendance was still lower than in previous years because of pandemic concerns.

“We only drew in about 65 entries to the parade last year and you could tell that attendance was lighter along the parade route,” said Hillman.

“So one of our first kind of pressure checks this year was to see if entries pick back up to around the 100 mark and they have. So, it seems like it will be much better this year.”

Several Clovis Marching Bands Will Be Back in Step

Middle School and high school marching bands are always a big draw, says Hillman.

This year, marching bands from Clovis Unified and Fresno Christian will perform.

“There’s going to be about 12 or 13 school bands represented that will go through the parade,” said Hillman.

Easy Transportation to the Parade

For those wanting to save themselves the hassle of looking for parking, Hillman says a trolley will provide free rides all evening.

The service starts at 5 p.m. from the Sierra Vista Mall Community Park Shuttle Stop and ends at Veterans Parkway and 5th Street.

The trolley rides are scheduled to end at 8:30 p.m.

Be Aware of Street Closures

Parade prep will start at 4 p.m. along with a few street closures on the west side of Clovis Avenue around the rodeo grounds and Clark Intermediate School.

Additional closures will start at 5 p.m. for the route itself down Clovis and Pollasky avenues from 3rd to 9th streets.