Christmas in Eatonton

Thank you for your interest in sponsoring the Christmas in Eatonton. We are excited about this year's holiday season, and we hope you are, too.  We are also excited about your partnership with Eatonton Main Street. Your business will benefit greatly from your sponsorship and your involvement with the Christmas in Eatonton.

Over the years, the City of Eatonton’s annual Christmas Parade has always taken place on the second Saturday in December, rain or shine. The Parade is one of the most anticipated and most attended events each year.

After the Christmas Parade passes through Downtown Eatonton, guests will be able to visit with Santa Claus on the lawn of the Putnam County Courthouse. Also, arts & crafts vendors will be available on the Courthouse lawn for guests to do some last minute Christmas shopping.

Eatonton Main Street and the City of Eatonton invite you to participate in our annual Christmas Parade through Downtown Eatonton. There is no entry fee for the parade, but you must submit an application and be approved to participate. Rules & Guidelines are included below; please read them carefully, and don’t hesitate to call with questions. 

The parade will follow the city’s set parade route, which starts and ends at the Eatonton Municipal Complex, which is the former Putnam County Elementary School on S. Washington Ave. The parade will impact Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Marion, Sumter and Wayne streets, as well as intersecting streets.

Floats/vehicles/walking groups/etc. will check-in at the Eatonton Municipal Complex, which is the former Putnam County Elementary School, 314 S. Washington Ave beginning at 4:30 p.m. Use the entrance away from S. Jefferson Ave. to enter the parking lot. After check in, floats and vehicles will stage in the driveway and parking lot of the school. All parade participants must be in line by 5:30 p.m. to participate. Floats must be finished and riders must be on floats by 5:30 p.m.

The Route. The parade will begin AND end at the Eatonton Municipal Complex, which is the former Putnam County Elementary School, 314 S. Washington Ave. Participants will proceed out of the parking lot, turn right onto S. Washington Ave, and left onto S Jefferson Ave. The parade will cross Sumter and Marion, and turn left onto W. Wayne St. It will then turn left onto N. Madison Ave., right onto Marion, and left onto S. Washington, heading back to the school. Please review the attached map to acquaint yourself with the route.

Spacing. Parade entries must maintain one car length spacing between vehicles.

Keep Moving. The parade must keep moving forward–try to leave no more than one car length between vehicles.

Licensed and insured drivers only. All motorized vehicles and anything being towed by a motorized vehicle must be insured and must be driven by a licensed and insured driver.

Height limit. Floats should not exceed 16 feet in height.

Sharp turn ahead! Large vehicles or vehicles pulling floats need to confirm their ability to turn left/right safely at ALL turns in the parade route. We recommend driving the route as soon as possible with your vehicle/float to ensure it’s drivable for your entry.

Animals in the parade. Entrants with animals must have a clean-up system to ensure proper disposal of animal waste. Please include cleanup plan with registration form. Please ensure the safety of others and your animals at all times.

The parade will proceed as planned, rain or shine, unless the weather is severe. Any cancellations or delays would be posted on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DowntownEatontonGA/ and on the Downtown Eatonton Main Street website at www.downtowneatonton.com.

Parking. Any vehicle NOT entered in the parade may NOT park at the school or on S. Washington.

Theme. All parade participants are asked to created their entry around the parade’s them. This is not a requirement; however, it is highly encouraged.