43rd annual Christmas Parade spotlights Lakeland's favorite landmarks

43rd annual Lakeland Christmas parade preview

FOX 13's Carla Bayron talked with officials about the logistics of keeping everyone safe.

LAKELAND, Fla. - Lakeland's annual 43rd Christmas Parade kicks off the holiday season Thursday night.

Tens of thousands of people will descend on downtown Lakeland to see the fireworks, floats and, of course, Mr. and Mrs. Claus. The event is hosted by the city and the Junior League of Greater Lakeland.

This year's theme is "Christmas at Swan Lake," spotlighting the community's favorite landmarks.

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"I chose this theme because of our love for our big small town," said Kira Perkins, the Christmas Parade chair at the Junior League of Greater Lakeland. "I am a Lakeland native, and I just have loved growing up in Lakeland, so I wanted to spotlight that and bring back the love for our town."

Perkins said there will be 115 floats this year. The parade, which typically lasts between an hour-and-a-half to two hours, will leave the RP Funding Center, make its way down Lemon Street, and twist and turn through the downtown.

The event attracts between 40,000 to 50,000 people every year, making safety a priority.

"We'll have over 100 officers throughout the city," said Lt. Doug Brown. "You'll see somebody just about at every block of the parade route. We also have some undercover officers mixed in with the crowd that you won't know are officers, and then we have people behind the scenes, logistics, in case something occurs, they can move in quickly to respond."

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Roads downtown will start closing in sections at about 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Pick a parking spot where you can anticipate being stuck for a while, because it will take time to get out. Garages will be open.

"This year has been a little bit trying for alot of people and Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, and so I just want to bring back the joy and kick off this holiday season very strongly," said Perkins.

The event will kick off with a fireworks display here at Lake Mirror at 7 p.m.

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