City of Gainesville’s daylong holiday festivities begin Saturday

Press release from the City of Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – More than 100 floats, dance troupes, marching bands, and community groups will travel along University Avenue in the 2025 A Very GNV Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 6.

The theme of this year’s parade is “homegrown talent,” featuring Gainesville’s own nationally acclaimed theatrical producer/director Marion J. Caffey and award-winning saxophonist Emmanuel Garilus, who will serve as co-grand marshals.

The parade also will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Star Center Theatre, marking a milestone in teaching and empowering young performers in the community.

City officials encourage neighbors to come downtown where parking is free every weekend (except in the SW Parking Garage at 105 SW 3rd St. and in spaces designated for another entity or purpose).

Saturday’s parade is the first of several City events downtown and all are free and open to the public:

2025 A Very GNV Holiday Parade
When: Noon-1 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 6
Start: intersection of W. University Ave. and W. 6th St.
End: 620 E. University Ave. (ACPS Admin Bldg.)

Holiday Kids’ Dance Party
When: 1-3 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 6
Where: Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E. University Ave.

Holiday Lights Celebration
When: 5-8 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 6
Where: The Historic Thomas Center, 302 N.E. 6th Ave.

Traffic impacts

• N.W. 6th Street between W. University Ave. and N.W. 8th Ave. will serve as the staging area for parade participants and will close at 7 a.m. Saturday until the final unit enters the parade route.
• University Avenue from W. 7th Street to E. 7th Street will close at 11 a.m. Saturday and reopen gradually as the final unit travels the parade route.
• Buses along certain Regional Transit System (RTS) routes will experience delays Saturday. Visit the city’s RTS website for details.

We’d like to take a moment to give a very big thank you to the generous sponsors of the 2025 A Very GNV Holiday Parade!

City of Gainesville Holiday Parade Sponsors

Platinum ($10,000)
Cox Communications

Gold ($5,000)
GFL Environmental
Pavlov Media
Santa Fe College

Sapphire ($1,500)
Ajax Building Company 
Charles Perry Partners, Inc.
Children’s Trust of Alachua County
eda
Gainesville Housing Authority
Gainesville Regional Utilities
Oelrich Construction
Scorpio Construction
Trimark Properties
UF Health

#GNVholidayparade is the official hashtag of the parade. Neighbors are invited to tag the city when posting photos online, using @GainesvilleFL on Facebook and @gainesvillefla on Instagram.

The parade will be livestreamed on the City’s Facebook page. It will be recorded for replay on Community 12TV and the City’s YouTube channel, and it will be available on demand after the event on GNV TV through Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices.