The Candy Cane Parade
Hollywood celebrates the 62nd annual Candy Cane Parade
December 4, 2017
On December 2nd, 2017, hundreds of people lined the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk to watch the 62nd annual Candy Cane Parade.
The holiday season has come upon us, and with it a multitude of holiday-themed events. Of those events, the most festive was the long-running Candy Cane Parade.
The Candy Cane Parade is a long-held tradition of Hollywood, and it has taken place for more than six decades. The parade started out as a way to inform consumers about the different products and services they provided. It was first used in the mid 1950’s by a group of Hollywood merchants to draw more people to their shops and businesses.
Before the parade began, the parade’s supervisors toured the parade to ensure that the parade’s participants were in order, ready to start and the parade route was clear. Along with the supervisors, police officers spread out along the boardwalk and police cars were placed on both ends of the parade. Barricades were placed for the safety of the people watching, and for the safety of those participating in the parade.
The parade started at an area of the boardwalk perpendicular to Scott Street; the parade began a little after 7 p.m.
The first group in the parade was non-other than McArthur High School’s Color Guard showing the McArthur school flag and the national flag, and marching behind them came McArthur’s JROTC. Soon after parade floats, which were decorated with everything from Christmas lights to ginger-bread houses, participants tossed an immense amount of candy canes and mints to the people watching.
Kids ready with eager sweet buds and plastic bags dove in to grab as much as they could carry. Much to the annoyance of parents, local police officers, and the parade’s supervisors.
Subsequently, various floats, McArthur High School marching band, Fort Lauderdale High School’s JROTC were marching down the boardwalk in unison. The Broward Flashettes made an appearance, twirling neon-green batons in a dazzling display. Other dance groups made an appearance such as the ARISE Dance Studio, YMCA’s dance team, and Pink Swans Dance.
During the parade, popular Christmas songs, such as “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey and “Santa Claus to Town” by Jackson 5, were played on some of the passing floats.
McArthur’s marching band performed with parade, and they played music that was followed by great applause from the audience.
Girl Scout Troops 10610, 10203, 14505 participated in the parade. Along with them was Boy Scout Troop D12 and a couple troops from the Cub Scouts.
As different groups and floats passed the audience would shout “Candy!” to get the attention of participants, and to get candy canes and mints. During a majority of the parade, some parts of the audience were incredibly close to the ongoing floats and groups.
A majority of the floats that were part of the parade belonged to local businesses, such as Broward County Fence. Considering that the original purpose of the Candy Cane Parade was to advertise their businesses and captivate audiences, it seems that some things haven’t changed.
South Broward High School’s JROTC and marching band were, also, part of the parade.
The SBHS marching band was dressed in red and black uniforms as they marched down the boardwalk. The band played many tunes during the parade including “March Madness”, “Hey Let’s Go”, and “Cold Hearted Snake”. The band prepared with lots of practices after school, and band members practiced at home. Band members spent a great deal of their time practicing for their performance in the Candy Cane Parade. One band member, Julia Gallagher said, “We practiced our marching and dance routines for hours until it was perfect.” The band also memorized multiple songs and tunes that would play in the parade. Many band members report being incredibly excited to perform. Band member, Valery Lenti-Navarro said, “Everyone was really excited beforehand.” Ultimately, our band’s diligent preparations has paid off, as the crowd cheered them on throughout the parade.
Alongside the many participants in the parade, the SBHS marching band was judged once they had passed most of the audience. All floats, bands, and performers were judged.
The last parade float housed the most decorations, and while it wasn’t necessarily the pinnacle of the parade it was quite a spectacle. The float featured Mr & Mrs. Clause waving to the audience on their iconic red sled being pulled by reindeer decorations illuminated by Christmas lights.
The Candy Cane Parade ended at around 7:58 p.m. In the aftermath of the parade, an immense amount of crushed candy canes and fractured mints littered the boardwalk because most of the parade participants on floats couldn’t throw the candy directly to the audience. The parade was still an amazing holiday-themed event. Hopefully, there will be many more candy cane parades as the years go on.
Future installments of the Candy Cane Parade are scheduled to take place on December 8th, 2018 and December 7th, 2019.
