Mike Wolanin | The Republic
A Harrison Township fire truck passes under Exhibit Columbus installation InterOculus during the Columbus Festival of Lights Parade in downtown Columbus Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
Entries for the annual Festival of Lights Parade in Columbus already are half full after just two weeks of registration.
And organizers say that the Dec. 7 event’s security will include a new crowd-control measure: metal gating along the one-mile route on Third, Washington and Eighth streets in downtown Columbus.
The entries development speaks to the continued popularity of the free event that looked to have attracted a record throng of perhaps 10,000 people last year amid 50-degree weather.
And the gating speaks to perhaps the most persistent challenge of the parade for at least the past decade: Attendees gradually streaming into the street even as semi’s pulling floats are rolling northward up Washington Street, and especially as oversized vehicles are making the parade turn westward on to Eighth Street.
For years, both volunteers and police have asked, cajoled and demanded that people stay on the sidewalk or well behind the Eighth and Washington intersection. But many, including those with small children, have ignored such guidelines moments after those requesting such safety measures have walked away.
“Our first and top priority is always safety,” said Sarah Forbes, president of the Red Arch Community Events Inc. nonprofit that organizes the parade. “We take all of that very seriously.”
At last year’s parade, organizers added marshals to walk alongside each parade entry to help clear the way for marchers, trucks and more.
Forbes acknowledged that adding the gating will require more sponsor support to cover the cost of the boundary measures.
Interested sponsors and/or volunteers may contact organizers at the website at columbusfestivaloflights.com.
Parade entries will remain open until the 100-entry capacity is reached. There were 100 entries in past year’s parade, too. Forbes said entries thus far mirror the width and breadth of recent parade years: schools, churches, nonprofits, organizations, businesses and more.
Red Arch Community Events Inc., operating with a 35-member committee, took on the parade after leaders with JAKKS Inc. announced the 2022 parade cancellation Sept. 10, 2022. They cited a volunteer shortage, repeated and serious safety concerns, insurance costs and other issues.
To register a parade entry: https://columbusfestivaloflights.com.
To register a parade entry
