The Town of Chapel Hill recently announced that there will be no joint holiday parade with Carrboro this year. This is the second year in a row the annual parade was cancelled – which typically features a procession of emergency responders, marching bands, and local businesses along East Franklin Street.

Last year, Chapel Hill announced its parade cancellation due to COVID-19 safety precautions. In December of 2020, the state was still under a modified stay-at-home order, with the first doses of the COVID vaccine not rolling out to select healthcare providers until later in the month.

This year, with many county and state operations having retuned to normal as compared to the year prior, the town said its usual holiday parade organizer declined to participate, effectively cancelling the event.

“The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade was not organized by the towns of Chapel Hill or Carrboro,” said Ran Northam, communications manager for Chapel Hill. “The towns supported the event. The event organizers, the Raleigh Jaycees, did not express interest this year in organizing the event, and the Town does not have the capacity this year to take over as organizer.”

While the parade is cancelled this year, Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture, Carrboro Parks & Recreation, and the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership said they are already working together on plans for 2022.

In lieu of a 2021 parade, however, the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership will be hosting three holiday markets in December. On Sunday December 5, December 12, and December 19, the town will host vendors along West Franklin Street from noon to 4 p.m.

To further encourage residents to patronize local businesses, every weekend in December parking will be free in both town-owned lots and decks.

Despite some cancellations in Orange County, the Town of Hillsborough announced the return of its own Light Up The Night Hillsborough Holiday Parade. That event will be held on Sunday, December 5 at 4 p.m.

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