Bentonville Christmas parade video to be posted on YouTube

BENTONVILLE — Downtown Bentonville Inc. has the perfect gift for those who want to relive the Bentonville Christmas Parade or simply missed it.

A one-hour show that will highlight the parade will go live on the group’s YouTube page — https://www.youtube.com/ @dwtnnow — at 10 a.m. Christmas Day, said Dana Schlagenhaft, Downtown Bentonville’s executive director.

This is the third year the organization has produced a video version of the parade, Schlagenhaft said.

The Dec. 9 parade had more than 100 floats and was witnessed by thousands of people as it moved up Main Street to the downtown square.

“While we have 15,000 to 20,000 attending our parade, we thought it would be a fun tradition for the entire community to watch the parade on Christmas morning as they are enjoying this special time of year with family and friends,” Schlagenhaft said. “Hey, if Macy’s can do it in New York City, why can’t we do it in Bentonville?”

Downtown Bentonville worked with avad3 Event Production to shoot footage of the parade.

“This year, we got to bring our multi-cam recording and added a jib [camera crane] that is really going to give their on-staff editor some great shots to pull together for the broadcast,” said Cameron Magee, avad3 owner. “Our team is already sharing their next-time notes on how to make 2024 even brighter, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Schlagenhaft and staff members Aaron Nolan and Chandler Harris spent more than 72 hours editing, writing, voicing and on-camera hosting to produce the final product, which also will be shown on the local CBS affiliate KFSM at 9 a.m. on Christmas, Schlagenhaft said.

The cost is covered by sponsorships and a partnership with avad3, Schlagenhaft said.

A drone, the camera crane and five cameras caught action from different angles as the parade moved through downtown, she said.

Mayor Stephanie Orman said she was impressed by the overwhelming support of the parade.

“The significance of this annual parade serves as a reminder of our unity, resilience and the enduring bonds that make our community strong,” Orman said.