Hollywood Christmas Parade returns to spotlight after pandemic-spurred hiatus

The long-running Hollywood Christmas Parade, a Southern California vacation tradition, was backmost successful afloat plaything connected Sunday, Nov. 28, aft being cancelled past twelvemonth amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public wellness officials gave the parade the greenish airy this year, but cautioned parade-goers to workout coronavirus-era caution and to deterioration look coverings.

The event, held successful enactment of the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots initiative, featured 5,000 unrecorded participants — including VIP attendees, marching bands, and four-story gangly quality balloons akin to those featured successful the beloved Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Parade Grand Marshal Sheryl Underwood of the CBS’ The Talk said she was astir excited to enactment the Toys for Tots effort.

“What you truly privation is for each kid to aftermath up successful the greeting and person a toy,” Underwood said.  “That keeps them believing and dreaming, particularly present much than ever.”

Underwood, President and CEO of the Toys for Tots enactment William Lomas, and Lt. Gen. James B. Laster of the U.S. Marines were each presented with peculiar Certificates of Recognition for their outstanding enactment of the Toys for Tots from the City of Los Angeles.

The personage hosts of this year’s parade, speech from Underwood, included: CHiPs prima Erik Estrada, question big Laura McKenzie, TV Superman Dean Cain, histrion Elizabeth Stanton and talk-show big Montel Williams.

The parade travelled on a 3.2-mile U-shaped way done the Hollywood area, featuring performances from the U.S. Marine Corps Band, arsenic good arsenic respective section creation academies and precocious schoolhouse marching bands.

Another breathtaking diagnostic of the parade: More than 250 novelties and cars featured successful classical films. The astir notable included the Back To The Future DeLorean, James Bond’s Aston Martin Vanquish from Die Another Day and the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine van.

The Idaho Potato Truck — featuring a two-story, two-ton potato, besides made an appearance.

Perhaps the astir highly anticipated subordinate successful the parade, though, was, of course, Santa Claus himself.

The 89th Hollywood Christmas Parade makes its mode down Hollywood Boulevard connected Sunday, November 28, 2021(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

St. Nick said that helium was astir excited to spot each the children and their families backmost connected the parade way this year.

“Where I’m sitting, looking down astatine the families, the astir touching infinitesimal is seeing each the small ones connected the curb successful front,” helium said. “They cognize I’m waving straight astatine them, and it’s truly bully to ticker their faces airy up knowing that Santa has singled them out.”

Danny Trejo —  the San Fernando Valley autochthonal who built a vocation of tough-guy determination roles into parallel lives arsenic a restaurateur and philanthropist — was overjoyed astatine the instrumentality of the parade.

“I’m a autochthonal from Los Angeles, and I’ve been present forever,” Trejo said. “And this has ever been connected the menu. It’s conscionable been great. And to beryllium successful it, specified an honor.”

The Christmas Parade has lone been cancelled a fistful of times since its inception successful 1928.

Officials archetypal decided against holding the unrecorded lawsuit from 1942 to 1944, during the tallness of World War II — past again past year, owed to the pandemic.

Officials past week urged spectators to bask this year’s instrumentality —but to retrieve to instrumentality precautions, arsenic COVID has not gone away. While section coronavirus statistic person been mostly level successful caller weeks, interest was rekindled implicit the play arsenic Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials acknowledged implicit the play that they were connected the ticker for the caller Omicron variant detected successful Africa, Europe and Canada.

The 89th Hollywood Christmas Parade makes its mode down Hollywood Boulevard connected Sunday, November 28, 2021(Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

“After a precise hard 20 months, and that is putting it lightly, for each of us, this weekend, erstwhile again, Hollywood volition service arsenic the backdrop to a beloved vacation contented present successful the City of Angels — the 89th yearly Hollywood Christmas Parade,” L.A. City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, whose 13th District includes Hollywood, said past week. And helium added that the L.A. County Health Department recommended radical deterioration masks, adjacent outdoors, successful crowds larger than 10,000.

“There’s going to beryllium much than 10,000 radical watching this parade in-person,” O’Farrell said. “So let’s instrumentality those precautions. Folks, we are starting to travel retired of this pandemic. Let’s travel retired of it each the mode and instrumentality the precautions indispensable truthful determination are nary further outbreaks.”

On Sunday, 1 radical of parade-goers, visiting Los Angeles from Washington, D.C., said they ended up connected the parade way accidentally.

“We conscionable wanted to person a speedy travel down present to spot the stars,” said Carolina Filippi. “But we’re excited to spot what happens.”

The festivities volition beryllium broadcast arsenic a two-hour peculiar connected The CW Network connected Friday, Dec. 17

City News Service contributed to this report