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Hollywood Christmas Parade facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Hollywood Christmas Parade is a super fun yearly event that happens in Hollywood, California. It's always held on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Imagine a huge parade with lots of famous people, cool floats, and marching bands! The parade travels about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) along Hollywood Boulevard and then back along Sunset Boulevard. The best part? Santa Claus always shows up at the very end!

History of the Hollywood Christmas Parade

Early Years: The Santa Claus Lane Parade

The Hollywood Christmas Parade started way back in 1928. At first, it was called the Santa Claus Lane Parade. Local shops in Hollywood wanted to make shopping more exciting for Christmas. So, they turned a mile of Hollywood Boulevard into "Santa Claus Lane."

Every day, there was a small parade with Santa Claus and a movie star. The very first parade featured Santa and actress Jeanette Loff.

The parade quickly grew bigger and better. In 1931, Santa rode on a float pulled by a truck instead of reindeer. Groups like the American Legion also joined in with their marching bands.

Parade Pauses and Returns

The parade took a break from 1942 to 1944 because of World War II. But it came back in 1945 with more people watching than ever before!

In 1946, famous cowboy singer Gene Autry rode his horse in the parade. He heard children shouting, "Here comes Santa Claus!" This gave him the idea to write the famous song "Here Comes Santa Claus" with Oakley Haldeman. Gene Autry became a very important part of the parade for many years.

Growing Bigger and Changing Names

Throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, the parade kept getting larger. More floats, animals, bands, and celebrities joined the fun. By 1978, the parade changed its name to the Hollywood Christmas Parade. This new name helped attract even more famous people.

The parade also started being shown on TV, first on a local channel called KTLA. This made it possible for many more people to watch the parade from home.

The Parade in the 2000s

In 2002, there was an attempt to show the parade on a bigger TV network, NBC. However, this special didn't do very well. It tried to be like other big parades but didn't quite work out.

For a short time, the parade faced some money problems and almost stopped happening. In 2007, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce thought about ending it. But the City of Los Angeles stepped in to create a new parade, bringing back the name Hollywood Santa Parade for a bit.

Later in 2007, the parade was saved! It went back to being called the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Since 2015, the parade has been shown on The CW channel as part of their holiday shows. It's also shown in other countries.

The parade didn't happen in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, a TV special called The Hollywood Christmas Parade Greatest Moments was shown.

Grand Marshals

The Grand Marshal is a special guest who leads the parade. Many famous people have been Grand Marshals over the years!

See also

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