I was in the school band for a couple of years, so marched in that. I also marched in the Boy’s State of NY parade – one so insignificant that they didn’t even stop traffic for it (well, they did block off one lane, but the other three were open).
I’ve been in tons of parades, but my favorite one was where I played Mrs. Claus in the Christmas Parade. That was the most fun: I got to sit on top of the float in a rocking chair.
One of the best ways to promote summerstock theater is to appear in a parade in costumes. It is great free publicity. And it really plants the idea in the heads of the locals and the summer folks to go to the show. So yes, I have been in parades.
I remember one. I was grammar school age. Granddaddy was the guy who went around emptying parking meters. They wanted me to play Granddaddy so I had a clothes pin bag to resemble the leather pouch he used and a stick to resemble the cigar he always had in his mouth and I stood next to something resembling a parking meter on the float and mimed the process of emptying the contents into the bag. Parade was on the order of a mile through downtown and I think it was drizzling that day.
That’s all I got.
I was in Girl Scouts and softball simultaneously as a kid. At first I walked with the Girl Scouts for the Memorial Day parade, but as I got older and lazier I went with the softball team, which rode on a truck. Once I got to high school, I was back on the street again, marching with the band.
We did some other community parade once where we got to ride in a truck and played more fun music (US military songs are a BITCH). I liked that lots.
My senior year of high school we went to Disney World and marched in one of their parades. One of the best experiences of my life! Everyone at Disney is in some sort of happiness zone and is SO HAPPY to see the band, whatever stupid small-town marching band you happen to be.
The last time I was in a parade was maybe 5 years ago when I was in a community band. I don’t remember what the parade’s occasion was. I just remember that we had a small group and our mission was to play as loud as possible. My face was falling off by the end but it ROCKED (and we were on a float).
I’m trying not to miss being in band but this isn’t helping…
This is such a fun thread!
I was almost in a parade last summer. I went to Little Tokyo’s Nisei Week celebration because members of my anime club were going to participate in a cosplay contest and later in the parade. I was invited to join them, but wasn’t cosplaying so I didn’t feel it was appropriate for me to participate. Instead I sat on the sidewalk across the street from Pinkberry and cheered my fellow otaku, marching by in their kimono and Hetalia costumes (there was a pretty good Russia cosplayer, and a few people from Street Fighter.) Maybe this year, if I have my Bleach cosplay ready and am not feeling sick, I will join them.
I was in the honor guard in a few Independance Day Parades.
I was in a “Honor America Day” parade in Huntsville, during the 70s, when I was in JROTC.
Miserable experience.
Scheduled in February, freezing cold, hours delayed with us outside with no shelter, in a strong cold wind.
Once the parade got startyed we were heckled & abused as we marched through a lower class neighborhood.
Sucked.
I’ve marched in every Montreal Pride parade since I came out in 1998, as well as in Prides in Ottawa, Madrid, and Copenhagen. (I’ve attended Toronto Pride but couldn’t march in it because, absurdly, they put barricades along the whole route.)
I’ve organized the NDP’s participation in Montreal Pride for the last couple of years.
Yes and my own father ran into me with the float (car) on purpose because I wasn’t walking fast enough.
I was in a color guard from 1965 til 1976, we participated in parades in several states (Mass., Conn. Rhode Island) and also in contests which is why we got invited to participate. And just recently on a float.