Small Business Saturday, Holiday Parade in Huntington Village

On  Saturday, November 28, 2015 in Huntington Village the Sixth Annual Huntington Village Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting.  Events start at 2 p.m. Parade starts at 6 p.m  Tree lighting is approximately at 7:30-8 p.m., after the parade.

Each year, between 5,000 to 10,000 people come to the parade, which includes floats by local fire departments and companies. This year, to integrate the parade with Small Business Saturday, additional activities have been added throughout the day.

Among the new features is an interactive map that shows the parade route, the activities and 30 participating businesses, about half of which have special promotions tied to day that can be accessed from the map. We invite you to take a look at the map. This is the link: http://arcg.is/1R3Rfjr

Also new this year is the gingerbread house competition. Five local bakeries have entered. From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., visitors can view the entries in the window of Salon Mayan at 27 Wall Street and vote for their favorite. The winner will be announced as part of the tree lighting.

From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., the community room at Panera Bread will offer crafts for children. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Huntington Public Library will offer holiday crafts and stories in the Youth Program Room.

Before the parade, Dancin’ Feet, Kidz Hitz and Lesley Garay of the group Autumns Falls will entertain on and in front of the reviewing stand at Main and Wall Streets, with additional music from DJ John Wrobel.

The parade kicks off at 6 p.m. at the Big H Shopping Center on New York Avenue, continuing to Main Street, where it heads west to West Neck Road.

The North Shore Pops, which calls itself Long Island’s favorite concert band, will again perform immediately after the parade, playing in front of the holiday tree, which for a second consecutive year will take up residence in the (temporarily) vacant lot at 10 Wall Street. Last year, the tree was a popular picture and gathering spot throughout the holiday season.

After the tree lighting ceremony, the festival will continue on Wall Street. A disk jockey will take over to maintain the festive mood, as children pay a visit to Santa Claus, get their faces painted, play in the bounce houses or enjoy a free cup of hot chocolate, compliments of Christopher’s Restaurant. Meanwhile, parents can visit local merchants’ booths or just relax in front of the tree.  Merry Christmas to all.