City of Gainesville’s daylong holiday festivities begin Saturday

Press release from City of Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – More than 110 dance troupes, marching bands, floats, and community groups will make their way down University Avenue in the 2024 A Very GNV Holiday Parade. Media personality and 4-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal will appear as its grand marshal.

The parade is the first of several City events downtown this Saturday to usher in the holiday season. All events are free and open to the public.

2024 A Very GNV Holiday Parade
When: Noon-2 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7
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. Sat., Dec. 7
Where: Bo Diddley Plaza, 111 E. University Ave.

Holiday Lights Celebration
When: 5-8 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7
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 entries and will close at 7 a.m. Saturday until the final entry 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 entry travels the parade route.
• Buses along certain Regional Transit System (RTS) routes will experience delays Saturday. Visit the city’s RTS website for details.

#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 available on demand after the event on GNV TV through Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices.

Thank you to the sponsors of the 2024 A Very GNV Holiday Parade!

City of Gainesville Holiday Parade Sponsors

Platinum ($10,000)
Cox Communications
UF Health

Gold ($5,000)
The Collier Companies
Community Foundation of North Central Florida
GFL Environmental, Gainesville, FL Branch
Monterey Boats
Morgan & Morgan
Pavlov Media
Santa Fe College
Viking Property Management

Sapphire ($1,500)
Akira Wood
Audi Gainesville
Becker & Poliakoff, P.A.
CampusUSA Credit Union
Children’s Trust of Alachua County
Cynthia Moore Chestnut
D.E. Scorpio Corporsation
EDA
Eden Park at Ironwood
Gainesville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
Gainesville Housing Authority
Gainesville Regional Airport
Gainesville Regional Utilities
Gatorland Toyota/BMW of Gainesville
Mainstreet Daily News
Mercedes-Benz of Gainesville
Oelrich Construction, Inc.
Trimark Properties