If it was a holiday movie, I might call it that. How a telecom giant saved Christmas in Dallas.
The 35th Annual Dallas Holiday Parade will start at 9 a.m. in downtown Dallas on December 2nd, thanks to the efforts of Verizon. Verizon recently stepped in with sponsorship support when the event appeared to be in jeopardy.
In late August 2023, Plano-based Toyota Motor North America announced it would reduce its sponsorship. The automaker had assumed the role of presenting sponsor since Children's Health ended its sponsorship of the parade in 2017.
Verizon heard the report, called Jeffrey Giles, the parade's executive producer, and stepped in to fill the void, said Michelle Miller, Verizon Coastal Plains Market senior vice president.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us,” Miller said Friday. “It's all about customer connection and experience. It's a perfect fit for us.”
In October, Giles announced Verizon as an underwriting partner at a press conference. “Verizon has made big, big strides,” Giles said Friday.
Miller said the parade is “a really great activity.” [that] Jeffrey summarizes. We hope to continue doing that for many years to come. ”
Miller declined to say how much Verizon contributed, but said “there are some dollars tied to it.” Continuing holiday traditions is invaluable. ”
Once the parade was back on track, Giles resumed assembling the parade that had grown over the past 30 years.
“My goal was to turn a well-produced local event into one of enough acclaim to be on the national stage,” Giles said.
The parade began in 1988 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Adolphus Hotel and Dallas Children's Medical Center.
This year's two-hour parade will feature 16 marching bands, 50 dance teams, Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, floats, horses, dancers, costumed characters and more. They will start at Commerce and Houston streets and head east on Commerce Street, with performances along the way.
The event is free, but seating starts at $25 for optimal viewing.
The event will also include more than 20 vendors and 10 food trucks, and some restaurants along the parade route will be open, according to the parade website.
With hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend, parade organizers are encouraging spectators to take the Dallas Area High Speed Rail train downtown to avoid traffic congestion, parking fees and road closures. The parade website has a map of bleachers and road closures.
The National Weather Service says the weather in downtown Dallas on Saturday will be mostly cloudy and comfortable, with a low of 43 degrees and a high of 70 degrees, with winds blowing from the southeast at 5 to 10 mph.
According to the parade's website, the parade may be postponed to Sunday if the weather worsens.
dallas morning news Media partner for the parade.
