Fiesta Bowl Parade ready to roll through Phoenix
Floats and bands begin celebration at 9 a.m. Saturday
The 47th annual Fiesta Bowl Parade of marching bands, dancers, clowns, floats, horses, balloons and walking units gets moving at 9 a.m. Saturday in central Phoenix. About 100,000 spectators are expected to line the parade route, making it the highest-attended single-day event in Arizona.
A parade is often about more than just the spectacle. The Fiesta Bowl Parade brings together people of all ages to celebrate not just football but the community.
The 47th annual Fiesta Bowl Parade will take place in central Phoenix starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 30.
The parade brings an atmosphere of pageantry with marching bands, dance troupes, clowns, decorated floats, balloons, horses, walking units and decorative vehicles.
Each year, around 100,000 spectators line the parade route, making it the highest-attended single-day event in Arizona.
Fiesta Bowl Parade Chair Brian Bednar said the parade has become a tradition for some families who have attended for decades.
“People love a parade. They come out hours before to set up a spot. They sit in the cold weather just to get their favorite spot,” Bednar said.
Bednar said that along with locals, out-oftown visitors also attend the parade.
“A lot of people are in town for the football game and the holidays, and it’s something fun and unique to do,” Bednar said.
The parade starts at Central and Montebello avenues, goes south down Central, turns east onto Camelback, then south on Seventh Street and ends right before Indian School Road.
This year, the parade has 103 entries from Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and California.
Marching bands from Washington and Penn State, the teams playing in the Fiesta Bowl, will represent their schools in the parade.
A high-school marching band from Easton, Pa., and the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team from Washington, D.C., will also take part.
Five participants have been in the parade every year since it started. They are the Bill Williams Mountain Men, the Arizona Milk Producers, the U.S. Marshals Posse, the Arizona Twirling Athletes and the Arabian Horse Association.
The APS Clown Troupe is also a repeat performer in the parade. Terry Ricketts, the head of the volunteer clown group, said 30 to 35 clowns will dance, blow bubbles, sing and engage with members of the crowd as they ride on the Walter VW bus.
“It’s the smiles. It’s the laughter, just the sparkle in kids’ eyes, all of that is the payoff,” said Ricketts, who performs as Malcolm the clown.
Ricketts first marched in the parade in 1978, and he was in awe of the size of the parade.
“To this day, I can still remember walking that entire parade route, just thinking, ‘How can you get that many people on a parade route on one day?’ It was simply amazing,” Ricketts said.
Around 1,000 people volunteer for the parade in different capacities, including guiding entries, handing out water, giving out information and driving cars.
Some volunteers take on multiple roles. Ricketts not only marches in the parade but helps to create balloons and floats.
Ricketts said many of the floats celebrate Arizona with themes befitting various communities, such as Westernthemed decorations for Wickenburg’s float.
“You’ll have all these representations of just how diverse this state is,” Ricketts said.
This year’s parade theme is "Champions of the Community." Longtime Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan is the grand marshal.
Arizona Teacher of the Year Josh Meibos and Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child Ambassador Isaiah Acosta are honorary grand marshals. This title is given to individuals serving the community in the areas of youth, sports and education.
Many local businesses, including the National Bank of Arizona, are involved with the parade. The bank is not only the main sponsor but it has a float in the parade and many of its employees volunteer during the parade.
Curt Hansen, chief operating officer for the bank, said that through the parade, the bank can work with an organization with a similar mission to stimulate economic growth, support education and serve the community.
“The parade has been an iconic Arizona tradition. It’s really nice to be able to support it the way that we do,” Hansen said.