On Dec. 6, 2024, Warrenton, Va., held its annual Christmas parade in Old Town Warrenton. Many have grown to look forward to the Warrenton Christmas Parade over the years, with some even making it part of their holiday tradition. The event showcases many different members of the community and has an award show at the end.
The parade started at 6 p.m., where viewers were met with the sound of members of the Fauquier County Police Department marching down the street, holding the American and Fauquier county flags, the police were followed by a Hero’s Bridge bus (Hero’s Bridge is a non-profit dedicated to helping elderly veterans and is the parade beneficiary). They were then followed by vehicles representing the Army National Guard for Virginia, volunteers for the Fauquier Fire Rescue Administration and local companies. Among some of these companies were Appleton Cambell, SPARC, John Paul Design & Build and many others.
With the floats, there were also many performances, whether they be dancing or playing music, all did a wonderful job in front of the thousands attending the parade. Performances included Liberty High School’s marching band, Kettle Run High School’s marching band and our very Fauquier High School’s (FHS) marching band. FHS had more than just the marching band in attendance, they also had floats for the FHS track team and the FHS swim team.
One of the main attractions at the parade, other than the floats, is the award show that is held at the end of the parade. This year, there were four awards to be given to participants, The Clark Griswold Award (Most Illuminated), The Most Original Holiday Entry Award, The Best Performance Award and The Judges’ Choice Award. The Clark Griswold Award was won by Superior Paving Corp., their sled covered in Christmas lights and a blowup snowman led them to an easy victory. The Most Original Holiday Entry Award went to Minera Orthodontics who had an inflatable snow globe with someone fighting a tooth inside. The Best Performance Award went to Ballet Folklorico El Tepeyac and The Judges Choice Award was won by a county collaboration with Fauquier County Park & Recreation and Fauquier County Government Human Resources. Some honorable mentions were The Dog Spa LLC who had a sled being pulled by real dogs, This n’ That Amish Outlet and Fauquier County Dept. of Environmental Services who had a Christmas-themed train that was made almost completely out of recycled garbage.
The Warrenton Christmas Parade has been part of many families’ holiday traditions and will grow year after year, creating long-lasting memories for old and young alike.
