Oh yes, something similar tends to happen for our sporting achievers too. Teams winning the FA Cup or League usually go round their city on an open top bus to display the trophy to the adoring crowds, and they can be big occasions, particularly if it’s somewhere whose team hasn’t won anything for a long time. There was quite a procession for our Olympic medal-winners in 2012, and when England won the Ashes back from Australia in 2005 (cricket), there was a major shindig in Trafalgar Square. But that’s more like NYC ticker-taping some particular hero.
They like to have parades here and there are numerous ones throughout the year. Just a few of the big ones are Independence day, Workers day, and Africa day. The biggest one and certainly the most spectacular parade is Carnival.
I’m from Kenilworth in the UK, a smallish town of 23,000 people. We’ve had an annual parade for the last 83 years. As a Cub and as a Scout I took part in it.
Here’s some pictures from last year so you can get a feel for it:
In answer to your questions:
- No idea really. It seems to tie in with the summer carnival.
- The mayor, but the mayor is more ceremonial than anything else. I couldn’t honestly answer about council or MP. Let’s just say that they weren’t prominent.
- They used to, although I haven’t seen the parade for a while.
- The pictures in the link above suggest that the band is Scout related.
- Pretty sure they did. If I remember correctly pretty much anyone could have a float if they applied.
- Not that I can think of. Floats, bands, fancy dress.
To highlight the exceptions to the general principle of Scottish parades:
The town I grew up in has two parades in summer. The first is the Marches, which is based on the reasonably ancient tradition of marching round the boundaries of the Royal Burgh back when being a Royal Burgh was a good thing. There are floats representing various clubs and societies (and other institutions like the fire brigade) and local dignitaries turn out. The mayor is there with his big shiny chain. When I was young sweeties were thrown to kids - don’t know if that’s still the case but I assume so. Schools don’t have marching bands but a there are a couple of local ones who might have a precocious child or two in them. There used to be a Majorettes club whose members twirled batons in the parade but I think they’re defunct now.
Marches parades round civic boundaries happen in a few old towns I think - I know Selkirk has one.
The second parade was the Gala Day, which is an entirely kid-centric event. It’s a heraldic pagaent with a Gala Queen, a Knight Errant, a Herald etc. all played by 6-9 year old kids. Parents of particularly angelic looking children go in fear of it, because being selected is: an honour difficult to decline, immensely time consuming (days and days of rehearsal) and expensive as hell - as well as costuming, participants are expected to make a floral arch at their home and over time this has become somewhat competitive. (The whole thing is twee as hell, frankly).
This is also done in the neighbouring town, where the “floral” arch thing has gone critical. As can be seen here.
The London suburb I’m in now has an annual festival which is a fairly recent thing, complete with small parade. The volunteers behind it seem pretty enthusiastic and reasonably competent, so I expect it’ll get bigger.
The Selkirk thing is scarcely a parade; more messing about with horses. Same goes for the other marcher towns with Ridings.
Most Selkirkians were blase to the point of apathy, apart from a vague annoyance at the PC Police insisting women take part. As with women priests it may arguably be fair, but it breaks tradition, and once tradition is broken people start looking critically and thinking the whole thing may as well be junked. The foundations of anything is based on shaky ground.
So here’s a YouTube of the the Ulster Centenary Parade of the 9th May 2015, it’s only a snippet an hour long starting off with WWI Lancers ( as worn by relatives of mine, though different regiments ) and ending with the famous sight of the Blokes in Bowler Hats and Aprons Looking Grim.
This is not the great parade, obviously, that’s on the 12th July, and is a day of great rejoicing.
Here’s the famous Black Skull Flute Band formed by the protties in Glasgow — as a Hands Across The Water sort of thing — on the 10th August. The Skull frequently attend the parades. And here’s Lisa from Battalion ( Lisa Irvine, the Protestant Muse ) singing The Sash, amongst others.
You will note these Ulster Parades are entirely sectarian affairs purposed to stick a finger up at those one disregards. Still, they are what they are, and one has to respect their raw honesty, or something. And at least they’re not liberal-democrats.
I live in Ireland
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St Patrick’s Day, Easter Rising commemorations, Pride, and centenaries of historic events.
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Sometimes politicians are involved, but more often there’ll be a podium for the President or Taoiseach to have a comfy, fancy view of proceedings.
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Nope
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There are famous marching bands, but schools don’t have them as standard.
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Yes, all three.
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There are the Orange marches in the north referred to in other posts but I can’t think of much that would differ.
From England:
1. Our local parade is the village carnival. Not held to mark any special occasion but just an annual attraction. It’s not only a parade but stalls are erected on the green where various foods and other items can be bought.
2. A local Councillor or two might sometimes attend the carnival.
3. There is no throwing of candy (or ‘sweets’)
4. Schools don’t have marching bands here …none that I’m aware of anyway.
5. Businesses, churches and various groups might often sponsor a float.
6. Some floats in the local parades are pretty good but the whole affair won’t be particularly loud or large. I think parades in cities are a bit more showy and lively but we haven’t personally been to see any …apart from Jersey’s ‘Battle of Flowers’ parade’ and that is always very good (can we post photos here?).
England, backing up some of the other answers and adding a little.
- When your community has a parade - why? Is it some special event?
My hometown has a carnival every year (carnival in the UK has a different meaning to the US - we don’t use carnival to mean funfair, only a celebratory event with a parade and often stalls). So does the borough I live in now and I think most London boroughs do. It’s usually in late Spring or Summer for practical reasons and not tied to any particular event.
Local churches might do a parade for Ash Wednesday but it’s not at all like a carnival. Everybody walks on the pavement and it’s very solemn.
There’s also Pride but I think they’re very similar the world over.
- Are politicians in them?
Not at all.
- Do people throw candy at your parades?
No. As a kid we used to throw pennies.
- Do your high schools have marching bands that march and perform in parades?
No. There are marching bands and majorettes but they’re Boys’/Girls’ Brigade or other organisations, not schools.
- Do businesses, churches, or civic groups march in parades or have floats?
Churches and local businesses maybe, but by no means all of them. it’s usually charities or floats put together especially for the carnival.
- Is there anything in your countries parades you think might be unique to your country or part of the world?
Maybe the Carnival Queen? We don’t have local beauty contests, really - no Miss Hackney 
so I guess this is the closest equivalent. It’s also not unknown for kids to dress up in ribbons and stuff, at least in small towns (never seen it in London). There’s also waving of teeny tiny Union Jacks and we don’t wave flags at any other time.
Since the carnival often ties in with a village fete there might be Morris Dancing and various village fete things that you don’t really get outside the UK, but they’re not in the parade itself.
Hmmm… from the responses I think American style parades with marching bands, floats, and throwing candy might be a good export.
A parade can really be a great community event. Marching bands are a great source of school pride. Floats are a great way for groups to advertise. Then their are the clowns and such which allow people to be creative and expressive.
Someone organises a US -style parade for New Year’s Day in London. They import some US high school marching bands (who I think have to pay for the privilege) and there’s a lot of corporate advertising. But that’s hardly the best time of year, weather-wise and it just seems a bit phony to me.
British Airport Security Police have standing orders to shoot clowns on sight.
American style parades are a very special thing, only to be appreciated in that land: New Orleans, Munich and Venetian Carnivals each have their own unique aspects which would be diluted if translated to the Mid-West, therefore the opposite applies; and in any case the rest of the world following American customs rarely works out.
Ir would be like us copying your system of government, clowns and all.