Hollywood Christmas Parade around the corner

The 85th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade Featuring Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, produced by Associated Television International and presented in associations with The City of Los Angeles, will be led this Sunday by award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John, who will serve as Grand Marshal, and will be joined by four other Former Grand Marshals of the Parade to help celebrate this historic occasion in style, including:  Mickey Mouse, Larry King, Louis Gossett Jr. and Robert Wagner.

Today the parade is announcing sponsors, bands, balloons, floats, characters/novelties and equestrian units which will be part of the 2016 parade making its 3.2 mile trek through the streets of Hollywood  at 6p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27.  The parade will be hosted by Erik Estrada, Laura McKenzie, Dean Cain and Montel Williams, with Co-Hosts Elizabeth Stanton and Garrett Clayton.

The Culver City Democratic Club’s monthly meeting is on Wednesday December

14, 2016 at the Culver City Veterans Memorial Building in the Rotunda Room

4117 Overland Avenue Corner of Overland Avenue and Culver Blvd. Meeting

starts at 7:00pm the meeting is free and open to everyone. Refreshments

included.

A new float making its debut in the parade this year will be Battlefield Earth, based on the author L. Ron Hubbard’s 1982 New York Times best-selling science fiction novel of the same name, featuring characters from the story, including Johnny Goodboy Tyler (played by actor Aaron Groben), Chrissie (played by actress Lauren Compton) and the supernatural being, Terl.  In keeping with the novel’s storyline, the float will be surrounded by Scotsmen wearing traditional kilts playing bagpipes and drums.

The Nebuta Float will return to the parade this year, and is inspired by the popular Nebuta Festival of Aomori Prefecture, one of the largest and most famous festivals in all of Japan that dates back hundreds of years.  The Nebuta Float was designed by Japanese Masters Artist, Hiroo Takenami, specifically to be showcased here in Los Angeles.  Its colorful design is carefully hand-painted and constructed of traditional washi paper and outfitted with over 3,000 LED lights.  This year’s float depicts the “Legends of Yoshitsune,” the story of the celebrated General of the Minamoto clan, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who by divine power safely travels across the ocean for battle.

Twenty-two larger than life inflatable character balloons will float down the streets of Hollywood on parade night including:  Dr. Seuss’ The Cat In The Hat (Presented by Entertainment Tonight and Wrangled by Hollywood Central Park); Gumby (Wrangled by Make-A-Wish Foundation); Penguins of Madagascar (Wrangled by Civil Air Patrol); Dr. Seuss’ Grinch Santa (Sponsored by the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, Wrangled by the American Legion Auxiliary); Pirate & Chest (Sponsored and Wrangled by Author Services, Inc. and Galaxy Press); Dr. Seuss’ Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Wrangled by the Hollywood Arts Council); Rilakkuma (Brown Bear), Korilakkuma (White Bear) and Kiiroitori (Yellow Bird) (Sponsored and Wrangled by Rilakkuma); Dog With Newspaper (Sponsored and Wrangled by DogVacay); Santa Garfield (Sponsored by and Wrangled by Easy Choice Health Plan); Pacman (Wrangled by the Kiwanis Club); Toy Soldier (Wrangled by U.S. Air Force); Two Elves and Four Lollipops (Sponsored and Wrangled by Hollywood Hotel).

Six Equestrian Units will be featured in this year’s parade, including:  Broken Horn Ropers (Bakersfield, CA); Express Employment Professional’s and the Express Clydesdale Horses (Oklahoma City, OK); Majestic Acres (Ramona, CA); Knott’s Merry Farm (Buena Park, CA) with Santa Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Lucy; Valley Center Vaqueros (Valley Center, CA) and Mane Attraction (Riverside, CA).

The live parade, taped for network television broadcasts, will travel along a 3.2 mile U-shaped route starting at Orange Street and Hollywood Boulevard traveling east on Hollywood Boulevard to Vine Street, turning south on Vine Street to Sunset Boulevard, and then turning west on Sunset Boulevard traveling back to Orange Street. Grandstand seats are now completely SOLD OUT.  FREE Curbside Seating will be available along the parade route, starting at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, continuing along the rest of the parade route on Vine Street and Sunset Boulevard.

The 85th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade will premiere as a two-hour primetime special on The CW Network on Friday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT) repeating on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. ET/PT (2 p.m. CT). The parade will also air to more than one million American servicemen and women worldwide on American Forces Network.  An American tradition, the live parade in the streets of Hollywood annually attracts more than one million spectators.

For further information, please call the 24/7 Hollywood Christmas Parade Hotline toll free at 1-866-PARADE1 1-866-727-2331.  For highlights of past parades, and to learn more about this year’s 85th Anniversary, visit the parade’s official website at www.thehollywoodchristmasparade.org.  Stay in touch with us via https://www.facebook.com/xmasparade and https://twitter.com/HlywdChristmas @HlywdChristmas #HollywoodChristmasParade #HCP2016