Cape Fear Area holiday parade organizers talk safety requirements
CAPE FEAR AREA, NC (WWAY)– With many upcoming holiday parades in the Cape Fear area, safety is the top priority for organizers.
There will be holiday and Christmas parades in Southport, Carolina Beach, and Wilmington in the next few weeks.
Organizers of holiday parades being held in the Cape Fear say they have some safety requirements for those who plan to participate.
Carolina Beach does not inspect floats and vehicles participating in the parade, but require at least one adult to stay with their parade entry at all times. no alcoholic beverages are allowed, and no candy can be given out, to reduce the risk of people entering the street.
Wilmington is also not allowing items to be thrown from floats, only allowing things to be handed out by walking parade participants. those walking must be illuminated in some manner. Wilmington also requiring those driving vehicles or pulling floats to have proof of driver’s license and insurance. Those walking in parades must be at least 10 years of age, and younger participants must ride in a car or on a float.
“We know a lot of people come downtown, it draws thousands of people, and we want everyone to have a good time, but more importantly, we want everyone to be safe. So all permitted events must submit an EAP, which is an emergency action plan, and that outlines the crisis management for the event as well as site plans, traffic control plans. So, we do everything we can beforehand to ensure if something unfortunately goes wrong we have plans in place,” said Jennifer Dandron, City of Wilmington spokesperson.
In Southport, the fire department sponsors the annual holiday parade, and also has safety requirements for those planning to participate.
“We always want to be safe in everything we do, so we’re asking any parade participants to wear light colored clothing, because the parade is at night. We’re also asking people not to approach the float units. We discourage throwing candy or anything like that, and we partner with the Southport Police Department to make sure our streets are secure and safe, intersections are blocked, so we’ve got safety precautions in place,” said Charles A. Drew, Southport Fire Chief.
Southport welcomes floats, bands, walking units, and golf carts to participate in the parade, but they will be looked over before the parade starts.
“We do have parade marshals, that are part of the fire department that will be downtown lining floats and parade entries up, and they will be checking them for precautions and making sure everybody’s safe,” said Drew.
The Southport “Light Up the Night” Christmas Parade will be held on December 9, Wilmington’s Holiday Parade is December 11, and the Carolina Beach Christmas Parade will be December 2. All are still accepting entries.
