Bring your talents and holiday cheer to the 46th annual Cary Jaycees Christmas Parade in downtown Cary. The parade is a joyful celebration which includes bands, mascots, local businesses, community groups, and churches.
Details
Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025
Time: 2pm - 4pm
Location: The parade starts on E. Chatham Street at Ward St, proceeds down E. Chatham to S. Academy Street, turns left onto S. Academy Street, and ends at Dry Ave in front of the Cary Arts Center. See the map below.
Registration Is CLOSED for 2025
Facebook Event: 2025 Cary Christmas Parade | Facebook
Live stream: WRAL will be live-streaming the parade again!
Participant instructions
If you are participating in the parade, please read these instructions to find out when and where you should meet before the parade. Participants must arrive between 12:30pm and 1:00pm (floats should arrive by 12pm).
Grand Marshal
Mr. Jack Smith
Parade Lineup
Pos Group Name
1 Cary Police Department
2 Cary Jaycees Banner
3 Cary High School NJROTC
4 Grand Marshal - Jack Smith
5 Mayor and Town Council
6 Fire Department
7 Cary High School Alumni Band
8 WRAL TV / Capitol Broadcasting Compnay
9 VFW Post 7383 and Auxiliary
10 Triangle Westie Clan
11 Millpond Dance
12 Wake 19 Girl Scouts
13 YMCA Super Skippers
14 Jackie's Basics And Beyond Dog Training
15 Sunny the Fun Fairy - The Raleigh Fairy
16 Big Air Trampoline Park
17 Cary dance productions
18 Good Shepherd United Church of Christ
19 Blue Heeler of North Carolina
20 Green Hope High School
21 Weekly Wine'd Up Happier Hour Social Meet-Up Group
22 Dorcas Ministries
23 New Life Church
24. Cary Plumbing Company
25 ABC11 Eyewitness News
26 Mosa Pet Spa Resort & Boutique
27 L.A. Dance
28 Davis Drive Elementary 5th Grade Chorus
29 Cub Scout Pack 200
30 Academy for the Performing Arts
31 L'academy Language Immersion Preschool
32 NC State University Pipes & Drums
33 Cub Scout Pack 208
34 The Grove School
35 Sparkle Squad
36 Titus II Community Dance Global Ministry
37 Phoenix Assisted Care
38 Kindercare Learning Centers of Cary
39 Bhakti Yoga of NC
40 Cary Youth Voices
41 Cub Scout Pack 152
42 Durham Bulls Baseball Club
43 The Little Gym
44 Foley Orthodontics
45 Taiwanese Association of America, NC Chapter
46 Further Towing & Recovery
47 Green Level High School Band
48 Wake County Child Welfare
49 Big Blue Marble Academy
50 First Flight Realty
51 Oak City Shredders
52 Cary Kappa's - Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
53 Bovenizer and Baker Orthodontics
54 Collins Lawn Care
55 Backwoods Junk Removal
56 GoCary
57 Cary High Interact Club
58 GrowPro, LLC
59 Cary-Kildaire Rotary Club
60 Pet Butler
61 Apex Skip-Its Jump Rope Team
62 Town Of Cary
63 Cardinal Charter Academy
64 Irvine & Byrne Families
65 Panther Creek High School Band
66 Triangle Creative Education Foundation
67 Open Arts
68 YMCA of the Triangle Y Guides
69 The Growing Years of Cary
70 Wake County Government
71 Graceful Expressions Dance Education
72 Wiley for Wake
73 Wheels 4 Hope
74A Athens Drive High School Marching Band
74 Young Scholars Academy of Cary
75 Triangle Metro City Church
76 Bond Brothers Beer Company
77 The Alternative
78 :Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated - Sigma Rho Zeta Chapter
79 Cary Lodge #198
80 ATA-NC (American Turkish Association of North Carolina)
81 Premier School of Dance
82 Carolina Family Estate Planning
83 FULL OUT Movement
84 Lightbridge Academy
85 Lane and Associates Family Dentistry
86 Rock Solid Warrior
87 F3
88 Wash N Go Carwash
89 Monkey Tales Brewing co
89A EZ Dry Roofing & Exteriors
91 Cary High Baseball Team
92 Cary High School Cheerleading
93 Cary High School Football
94 Cary High School Marching Band
95 The Cary Jaycees
96 Santa- DiFara Pizza Tavern
REGISTER
Registration for 2025 is CLOSED
Questions
Contact us at parade@caryjaycees.org
FAQs
How much are Tickets?
Pricing has changed and to answer the question of why, the change addition of different quantities of vehicles is an adjustment to better reflect the amount of space a group takes up in the parade.
Pricing will go up after November 8
Walkers only (1-75) - $100
Walkers Only (76+) - $150
Dance Company Walkers Only - $100 *This is for administrative purpose to help us when planning the line up
Cars/Trucks with Walkers (1-3 Vehicles, NO FLOATS) - $200
Cars/Trucks with Walkers (4-6 Vehicles, NO FLOATS) - $250
Cars/Trucks with Walkers (7+ Vehicles, NO FLOATS) - $300
Floats with Cars/Trucks/Walkers - $325
Professional Float - $800
Where can I park?
There is no designated parking for the parade. Spectators and participants can park in any of the Town of Cary public parking areas. Parking on E. Chatham St and S. Academy St along the parade route will not be permitted.
What Safety Precautions are in Place?
We are saddened by the tragic accident that occurred at the Raleigh Christmas Parade in November of 2022. Our hearts will always continue to go out to the little girl’s family, friends, dance studio and our community as a whole. We will continue to take the safety of all parade participants and spectators very seriously. We are following advice and safety protocols put in place by the Town of Cary and the Cary Police Department.
The following protocols are still in place:
Throwing candy will NOT be allowed. You can hand out candy to spectators but you must walk along the sidewalk to hand it out. This will keep spectators out of the road.
Floats are required to arrive at no later than 12pm.
All drivers should bring a copy of their latest inspection report.
Cary Police and Fire will initiate a safety briefing and the Jaycees will meet with all drivers the day of.
You may have no more than 16 people on any float (12 if it is a professional float).
Participants walking in the parade will not be placed directly in front of the floats. We will also ensure there are cars placed in between floats and walking participants.
What roads will be closed for the parade?
Cary Police will be directing traffic and managing road closures for the parade. Traffic on E. Chatham and S. Academy along the parade route will be restricted to parade participants between 12:30pm and 1:00pm. These roads will be closed at 1:00pm.
The following roads will be closed from 1pm - 4pm for the parade:
E. Chatham Street (From S. Academy to the traffic circle by Urban Park)
S. Academy Street (between E. Chatham Street and Dry Ave)
East and West Circle Drive
East Cedar Street (between N. Walker Street and Ward Street)
Ward Street
Hunter Street
Dry Ave (From S. Harrison Ave to S. Academy St.)
Where should participants be dropped off and picked up?
All participants should be dropped off on E. Chatham Street in front of Urban Park between 12:30pm and 1:00pm. The road will be closed at 1:00pm. Band members can be dropped off on E. Chatham Street at Hunter Street.
Anyone riding a float should then walk over to Martin Architectural Products at 511 E Chatham St, Cary, NC 27511.
Participants can be picked up at the parking lot by Cary Elementary behind the Cary Arts Center.
What time do line up for the parade?
Floats should arrive at 12pm. All other parade participants should arrive at their designated meeting area between 12:30pm and 1:00pm. The parade will start at 2pm.
Can food trucks or other vendors setup?
Our permit only covers the actual parade. We are not permitted to have vendors of any kind for this event. Food trucks can register as a participant and drive their truck in the parade for advertising but no sales are allowed.
Can we create a Facebook Event for our group for the parade?
Yes, you can create events on Facebook and other social media platforms for your group but it must be clear that the event is for your group only. There has been confusion in the past with multiple events that all look like the official parade event but have different times for the groups to meet.