Exeter Holiday Parade

Mark your calendar for Saturday, December 4th for the 2021 Exeter Holiday Parade. Unlike the pandemic-necessitated drive-thru parade held in 2020, plans call for Santa Claus to come back to town in his usual fashion.

The parade will step off from Osram on Portsmouth Avenue at 5:30 PM and wind its’ way to High Street, passing the Bandstand on Water Street before dispersing along Swasey Parkway. Awards for various parade units will be given out in front of the Bandstand.

The 2021 theme for the Holiday Parade is “Celebrate”. The elegantly simple theme will allow parade participants a fair amount of leeway as the parade returns to a more traditional format. Marching bands, floats from community groups and businesses as well as many familiar faces will populate the parade ahead of the most familiar face of all… Santa Claus!

Parade goers are invited to join the nearly 2000 followers of the Exeter Holiday Parade Facebook page for the latest information about this year’s event. The Exeter Holiday Parade is a more than 60-year tradition and anyone interested in sponsorship or donations can reach out to the committee at exeterholidayparade@gmail.com.

Participant registration will open on November 10th and will be available online at www.exeterholidayparade.org. Parade route and other information is also available there.

The Exeter Holiday Parade Committee wishes to thank everyone who participated in and visited last year’s “reverse parade” on the grounds of Exeter High School. The event maintained the continuity of tradition and holiday spirit in and around Exeter.

As always, the Exeter Holiday Parade is free to the public. Spectators are asked to social distance as much as possible, always keep all children on the parade sidelines and remember that Santa sees you even if you are wearing a mask.

The parade will be live-streamed on Exeter TV. Viewers can search online for Exeter TV on YouTube or access the stream on the @ExeterTV page on Facebook. Additionally, Comcast customers can see the parade live on Comcast Channels 22 and 98 in Exeter or on Channel 13 in all SAU16 towns.