MILE OF SMILES: THE MOST FUN YOU'LL HAVE IN A MILE

The Thanksgiving Eve Parade has been a holiday tradition in Charlotte since 1947. Over nearly seven decades, hundreds of thousands of participants, volunteers, sponsors, families and friends have centered their Thanksgiving traditions around this parade.

What began as a local holiday parade has grown into a magical showcase of performances, floats, celebrities, marching bands, balloons and surprises. Today, the parade is broadcast into 1 million homes from around the region, providing the gift of entertainment and joy to all.

In 2013, it appeared the parade and scholarship program would cease to exist. However, through the generous support of new title sponsor Novant Health, the parade was given new life and rebranded as the Novant Health Thanksgiving Parade. The 67th parade attracted more than 100,000 attendees on-site and more than 180,000 television viewers. New performances and floats were added to existing parade favorites for an unforgettable Thanksgiving event. In 2020, we produced a virtual parade with local performers and looking back on some of our favorite parade memories.

In 2021, we were back in-person to celebrate the Diamond Anniversary of 75 years! We hosted our first-ever night parade with great success. 2021 was filled with lights, music and ingenuity. Last year, 2022, was the best year yet! We continued the tradition of a nighttime parade and filled the streets of Uptown with thousands of attendees from near and far. We enjoyed more lights, more performances, and more fun!

2023, will be our 77th anniversary and our 3rd nighttime parade. Kick-off the holiday season with us the night before Thanksgiving, November 22, 2023.