NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The 38th Annual Grand Illumination Parade lit up the streets of Norfolk Saturday.
The parade takes place every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving — this year it was Nov. 23. The event started briefly before 7 p.m. and lasted about an hour and a half.
This year’s parade theme was Retro Wonderland, and the Downtown Norfolk Council lived up to its promise of “nostalgia-filled festivities filled with the feelings of holidays of old.”
Super Doppler 10 Meteorologist Jeremy Wheeler advised attendees to bundle up as temperatures fell into the upper 40s. It was also fairly breezy.
The event was free and open to the public. Guests could bring chairs as well. Food vendors were available along the parade route. Early bird parking rates of $3 were available until 5 p.m. at most garages. After 5 p.m., the parking rate was $5.