Applications to participate in the 2025 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Community Holiday Parade are open, calling for local organizations with diverse cultural, faith, and community traditions.

The parade is set to take place on Saturday December 6 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and will start in Carrboro and end in Chapel Hill. Participants are encouraged to be creative, dress in festive costumes, and make hand-drawn, bike-drawn, and animal-drawn floats.

In a release, the Town of Carrboro also shared facts to consider when applying:

  • Decorate your parade unit with a winter theme and add entertainment value.
  • Describe how your unit will entertain/engage spectators.
  • This year’s parade will be non-vehicular. Stay on foot, bike, or scooter.
  • No entries for strictly advertising, fundraising, recruitment activities, or political campaigning and electioneering will be allowed.

Interested parties can apply online here. The deadline to apply is Monday, November 10 at 5 p.m. While the starting location in Carrboro is yet to be announced, the route will end at 140 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. 

Featured image via Town of Chapel Hill

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
New Pizza Restaurant Opens in Carrboro; Sports Bar Holds Grand Opening in Chapel Hill
A pair of restaurants debuted in Chapel Hill and Carrboro over the weekend. Autostrada Pizza & Panini welcomed its first customers on Friday at Carr Mill Mall. The restaurant, modeled after an auto grill one would find along an Italian highway, is in the mall space previously occupied by Pizza Factory. The menu features a […]
Chapel Hill Approves Rezoning for Greene Tract Site, Hears Next Steps for Development
The Chapel Hill Town Council is making progress on developing the Greene Tract, meeting in June to rezone part of the site. 
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade Opens 2024 Participant Applications
Applications to participate in the 2024 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Community Holiday Parade are now open. The parade is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, December 7 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. “We’re looking for local organizations with diverse cultural, faith, and community traditions to participate,” read a release from the Town of Carrboro. “We hope you’ll consider […]
Chapel Hill, Carrboro Announce Holiday Parade's Return, New Vision
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect the extended deadline for parade participants’ applications. For the last two winters, the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro canceled their traditional holiday parade from either COVID-19 or leadership changes. During that time, however, organizers have come up with a new vision for the annual procession […]
Chapel Hill, Carrboro Holiday Parade Cancelled for Second Year
The Town of Chapel Hill recently announced that there will be no joint holiday parade with Carrboro this year.
Top Stories of 2025: In Orange County, An Anticlimactic Election
The municipal election was always going to be one of the top stories of 2025 in Chapel Hill - though this year's race was unusually quiet.
Orange County Communities to Interrupt Services for December Holidays (2025)
Communities around Orange County will interrupt their normal service schedules during the upcoming winter holidays. Here’s what customers can expect: Town of Chapel Hill Town of Chapel Hill government offices will be closed from Wednesday, Dec. 24 through Friday, Dec. 26. Residential trash collection will not be affected. Yard trimmings will not be collected on […]
Top Stories of 2025: Flash Flooding From Tropical Storm Chantal Damages Region, Changes Lives
Perhaps no singular event influenced the Orange County community's experience in 2025 more than Tropical Storm Chantal's floods in July.
'So Much Fun': Community's First 'Cardboard War' Brings Out Creativity and Whimsy
The Carrboro Town Commons was the site of a "cardboard war" on Saturday, which was created to spur whimsy and creativity among the community.
Arts in Uncertain Times - Dec. 12, 2025
The Hill's Andrew Stuckey speaks with North Carolina Poet Laureate Jakie Shelton Green, Carrboro Town Council Member Fred Joiner, and Executive Director of Orange County Arts Katie Murray on Friday, December 12. They discuss the challenges facing the arts community both generally and locally. They also discuss the role of arts in times of political division. They discuss the economic, social, and personal impact of having art in non-traditional spaces. They look ahead to 2026, and more.
›