Parade Schedule

Beginning at 2:00 PM, "Holiday Fun Zone presented by XTO Energy" will take place in a new area in the heart of Sundance Square.  Enjoy entertainment, children's holiday craft-making and food and delicious coffee from Starbucks. 

Cowboy Santas Program volunteers will be present in the Fun Zone to collect toys for needy children. Everyone is encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy (for up to 12 years of age) to give to the Cowboy Santas to help give kids around Fort Worth have a brighter holiday!   For more than 30 years, the city has gathered, sorted and helped distribute toys throughout Tarrant County to children of families with income at or below 150% of poverty income guidelines.  Toy donations must be new.  Items that pose a health or safety risk cannot be accepted, including toys that represent violence.

The Chesapeake Energy Parade of Lights presented by CHASE begins at 6:00 PM and starts at Belknap Street and Throckmorton Street, proceeds along Belknap to Commerce St., south on Commerce to 6th St., west on 6th Street to Houston St. and then north to Weatherford St. 

The TXA-21 broadcast booth, featuring CBS 11 News anchors Keith Garvin and Lisa Pineiro, is located on Houston Street, between 3rd and 4th Streets, and the Parade will be broadcast that evening in High Definition at 8:00 PM, with an encore broadcast on Christmas Eve beginning at 9:00 PM.

The lighting of the Sundance Square Christmas Tree will take place immediately following the parade, and afterwards kids can have their photos taken with Santa Claus, supporting the Fort Worth Sister Cities Youth Scholarships Program.  Bring your chair to the Chisholm Trail parking lot to see an special viewing of our holiday movie on the big screen. 

Ride The T for free after 4:00 PM.  The ITC is only a few blocks from the parade route.  Avoid the traffic rush after the parade and enjoy a few more moments downtown at many of our restaurants, shops and entertainment spots.

Schedule of Activities:

  • 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Holiday Fun Zone presented by XTO Energy opens in the heart of Downtown.
  • Main Stage Entertainment:
    • TBA
  • 4:30 PM - Come early to get a great seat, enjoy some hot chocolate or delicious fare from mobile operations of the Chop House, visit the shops of Sundance Square (or purchase reserved seating), or enjoy a leisurely meal in any of our Downtown restaurants.  Watch for the Wheelie-ing Elvi around the route before the parade begins!
  • 6:00 PM - Parade begins featuring over 100 illuminated entries.
    • Grand Marshal - To be announced September 1
    • 2012 Parade entries include - Chesapeake Energy, CHASE, XTO Energy and, of course, Santa's arrival on the Downtown Fort Worth Inc. float!
    • Entries featuring community groups and supporters from around Fort Worth.
    • Local personalities from around Fort Worth on our announcer stands!
  • 7:00 PM - Santa begins his trip around the parade route on a specially designed float.
  • END of the parade - Lighting of the Sundance Square Christmas Tree on Main Street between 3rd and 4th Streets, featuring a skit from downtown's own 4-Day Weekend comedy group.
  • 8:00 PM - High-Definition broadcast of the Parade of Lights on TXA-21, followed by an encore broadcast on Christmas Eve at 9:00 PM
    • Photos with Santa, benefiting Fort Worth Sister Cities youth scholarship programs, continuing until 10:00 PM.
    • Holiday Movie will be shown on a giant screen in the Chisholm Trail parking lot.  Bring your own chair or take your reserved chair over to the movie!

xto.jpgWatch for our elves selling bright lights before and during the parade. Special hand-held lights will be available for purchase, and we're hoping to have thousands of illuminated viewers along the parade route to make this the most spectacular parade in America

About this year's Grand Marshal:

Betsy Price, a Fort Worth native, was elected as the 44th mayor of the City of Fort Worth June 18, 2011.

A successful business owner for 17 years, Mayor Price began her career in public service as Tarrant County Tax Assessor in 2000 and quickly used her business experience to make her department one of the most efficient in Texas, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

Holding the line on costs and improving customer service, Mayor Price helped the Tax Assessor’s office win national and statewide awards for efficiency, innovation and performance. Her office efficiently handled an increasing workload — Tarrant County grew by more than 200,000 people during her tenure — and accomplished that with virtually no increase in her department’s budget.

Mayor Price’s stewardship of a department that collects $3.2 billion in taxes a year has helped Tarrant County become one of the few governments in the country to live within its means. During her time in office, the county saw no budget shortfalls or deficits.

Mayor Price has been a leader in Cowtown’s business, government and community service groups all her life — from Sunday school, the PTA and Camp Fire Girls to serving as Vice President of the Red Cross and board member of the Police Department’s Bike Officers Citizen Support Club, as well as professional associations.

After graduating from Arlington Heights High School, she earned a science degree in biology at the University of Texas in Arlington. Before being elected to office, she owned Price Cornelius Title Service. Betsy and her husband Tom, an insurance executive, have three children, two grandsons and three dogs.