Avoid the crowds, go downtown and celebrate
By: Nikki Bussey
Issue date: 11/25/08 Section: News
For those who are hesitant to walk into retail stores and shopping centers on Black Friday, there is another option.
People partaking in the downtown holiday celebration can enjoy food, festivities, shopping and more this Friday starting with the Memphis Holiday parade. The parade, produced by the Center City Commission, will begin at 5 p.m. on South Main Street, the first time the parade has been in the South Main Arts District. It is also the first time the parade will make its way down Main Street in more than a decade. In previous years, it has been held on Beale Street.
"Everyone knows about Beale, and it's fun, but South Main is a place people may not be familiar with," said Stephanie Bennett, marketing and communications specialist for Center City Commission. "The parade on Friday is our final event, and there will be lots of activities," Bennett said. "All the different retail business will have lots of things going on. We have a wide array of things going on."
The Downtown Holiday Celebration kicked off with the Holiday Winter Lights Flip-The-Switch Ceremony last Friday at the Court Square. Preparation for the event started months ago.
"Everyone in the office has a different role in this," Bennett said. "The lighting committee has been meeting since March. There is a lot of community involvement in this. We started with a limited budget, so we had to get support to make this happen. And we have received an outrageous amount of support. Everyone is just excited to participate."
And there are many participants. Over 100 organizations walking in the parade including local high school bands, dance groups, Memphis Roller Derby Girls, ballerinas, motorcycles, girl scouts, floats and horses. Leading the parade are U.S. service veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
Urban Art Commission has a project planned, if the weather permits. A "cloud" of 1,000 white balloons onto which short film pieces and pictures would be projected.
People partaking in the downtown holiday celebration can enjoy food, festivities, shopping and more this Friday starting with the Memphis Holiday parade. The parade, produced by the Center City Commission, will begin at 5 p.m. on South Main Street, the first time the parade has been in the South Main Arts District. It is also the first time the parade will make its way down Main Street in more than a decade. In previous years, it has been held on Beale Street.
"Everyone knows about Beale, and it's fun, but South Main is a place people may not be familiar with," said Stephanie Bennett, marketing and communications specialist for Center City Commission. "The parade on Friday is our final event, and there will be lots of activities," Bennett said. "All the different retail business will have lots of things going on. We have a wide array of things going on."
The Downtown Holiday Celebration kicked off with the Holiday Winter Lights Flip-The-Switch Ceremony last Friday at the Court Square. Preparation for the event started months ago.
"Everyone in the office has a different role in this," Bennett said. "The lighting committee has been meeting since March. There is a lot of community involvement in this. We started with a limited budget, so we had to get support to make this happen. And we have received an outrageous amount of support. Everyone is just excited to participate."
And there are many participants. Over 100 organizations walking in the parade including local high school bands, dance groups, Memphis Roller Derby Girls, ballerinas, motorcycles, girl scouts, floats and horses. Leading the parade are U.S. service veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
Urban Art Commission has a project planned, if the weather permits. A "cloud" of 1,000 white balloons onto which short film pieces and pictures would be projected.