Persimmon Festival Parade Rules and Information  – Saturday September 26, 2026 –

General Info:

Parade is held rain or shine!

Awards are given to the top three (3) floats.

Deadline for entry is September 11, 2026. Confirmation will be sent out via email no later than September 20, 2026. Units must submit an entry to participate in the parade.

Directions: Please follow signs.  Signs directing you to the parade staging area are on both highways (37 & 60) leading into Mitchell.

All parade units must stay with their assigned line up number. You will be contacted with your parade number by September 20, 2026.

Staging Area:

1.  Float participants should have their unit at the parade staging area no later than 11:30 am.
2. All parade units should arrive at the parade staging area no later than 11:45 am.

Float Judging begins at noon & ends by 1pm.

Parade begins at 2:00 pm, with the lead units approaching the reviewing grand stand at 2:15 p.m.

Avoid Gaps: The parade moves at a ‘fast walk’ pace. Please try to avoid gaps in the parade, staying within 50 feet of the unit in front of you.  There will be parade spotters along the parade route to maintain appropriate pacing. 

Rules

No candy, flyers, or objects shall be thrown from parade units or distributed along the parade route. This discourages children from entering the street, which is unsafe.  Units breaking the rules will be asked to leave the parade.   

Children

1. All floats with children must have two (2) spotters.
2. All entries with children must always have adult supervision.

NO political signage or flags or any signage deemed offensive will be allowed by the festival committee.

General Behavior Guidelines:

1. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
2. Respect other people’s property and person.

NO alcohol is permitted on parade grounds before, during, or after parade.

* The parade committee reserves the rights to accept/not accept entries. They also reserve the right to eliminate any entry that violates the above rules.

*Parade participants are expected to be appropriately attired and/or reflect the theme of the festival. 

*There will be concessions available but participants can also bring in their own water and snacks.