The Children's Christmas Parade was a major Christmas parade held to benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. The parade started in 1981 as the Egleston Christmas Parade. It became the Children's Christmas Parade, following the 1998 merger of Egleston Children’s Hospital and Scottish Rite Children's Hospital. The Children's Christmas Parade was held on the first Saturday in December.
Nielsen estimates of TV viewing audience and crowd attendance together exceeded 500,000 in 2011.
The parade featured floats, giant helium-filled balloons and marching bands. It was the largest holiday parade in the Southeast.
The Children's Christmas Parade aired live from 10:30 AM EST until noon on WSB-TV 2.1 in HDTV, previously after a half-hour pre-show (until 2010) about the children at the hospital.[1][2][3] It was re-run again on Christmas Day.
Parade sponsors included Wells Fargo, Macy's, Geico, Coca-Cola, SunTrust, Fidelity Bank, Georgia's Own Credit Union, Aarons, Publix, KidsRKids, Ringling Bros, Atlanta Peach Movers, Foresters Insurance, and Southwest Airlines. In its earliest years, it was sponsored by Davison's, one of the three major regional department stores based in Atlanta until they were eliminated by Macy's.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted organizers to cancel the parade in 2020. WSB-TV instead aired a special program, looking back at 40 years of Children's Christmas Parade memories.[4]
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta announced they would be ending the parade in 2021.[5] A new event called, "Children's Season on the Square," will replace the parade and feature a Christmas tree lighting at Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta.
- ^ "2006 Children's Christmas Parade". WSB-TV. 2006-11-29. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- ^ "2007 Christmas Parade Hits Downtown Atlanta Saturday". WSB-TV. 2007-11-26. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- ^ "Christmas Parade Hits Streets In Downtown Atlanta". WSB-TV. 2008-12-02. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- ^ "Children's Christmas Parade". Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ^ "Children's Season on the Square". Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-08-30.