- April 19, 2024
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By: Brittany McDermott
Community Recreation Manager, city of Palm Coast
To improve traffic flow into and out of the Starlight Parade this Saturday, Dec. 14, the city of Palm Coast is planning several strategies related to traffic flow, temporary road closures and parking.
The parade will start at 7 p.m. Saturday in the vicinity of Central Park in Town Center, 975 Central Ave., with pre-parade activities beginning at 4 p.m.
Westbound Central Avenue, from Park Street (near Central Park) to the Publix Shopping Center near Belle Terre Parkway, will be closed to traffic at 3:30 p.m. (except for parade participants who need to line up) to allow for parade staging.
Eastbound Central Avenue will remain open.
Bulldog Drive northbound from State Road 100 to Central Park will close at 6 p.m.
Parking will be available throughout Central Park, except that corner spots at the turns of the parade route will be coned off so that floats can make the turns.
Overflow parking will be available in the grass lot in front of Central Avenue before Bulldog Drive and at Flagler Palm Coast High School. Arrive early for the best parking.
Because of the temporary road closures, vehicles in Central Park and Central Avenue/Bulldog Drive will not be able to leave until the parade is over.
The parade route will begin near the roundabout on Central Avenue, near the entrance to the Landings Apartments, and head east — turning north onto Park Street, east onto Lake Avenue, and south on City Place, then continuing south of Bulldog Drive.
No one parked in the Central Park area will be able to leave until the parade is over. Roads will not reopen until after the fire trucks at the end of the parade pass by.
Parade participants will disembark in two different locations: Marchers will continue straight down Bulldog Drive to the east side of Flagler Palm Coast High School stadium, and vehicles will turn down Transportation Way to disembark at the 800 Gym at Flagler Palm Coast High School.
As the fire trucks pass at the end of the parade, vehicles parked on Park Street and along Lake Avenue near City Hall will be directed to exit along Central Avenue toward Belle Terre.
Vehicles parked on City Place and in the overflow lot at Central/Bulldog must remain parked until the parade is finished. Traffic and parking will be heavy on Central Avenue between Bulldog and Town Center, but that section of Central will remain open to traffic.
The public is asked to be patient and to follow instructions from public safety personnel.
The day kicks off with the pre-parade Starlight Event from 4 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., featuring live entertainment and fun for families.
The parade will start at 7 p.m.
The pre-parade entertainment — to be offered at the main stage at Central Park — is as follows:
4-4:15 p.m. – DJ Cedar the Parks & Rec elf (with music and games for the kids)
5-5:30 p.m. – Slavic Baptist Church Choir Performance
5:45-6:15 p.m. - DJ Cedar the Parks & Rec elf (with music and games for the kids)
There will be vendors with food and beverage available for purchase.
Also, Santa will be available for pictures (bring your own camera or phone). The entirety of the parade will be live streamed to the City of Palm Coast’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/discoverpalmcoast.
This year’s Starlight Event & Parade is sponsored by the Palm Coast Observer.
For more information, visit www.palmcoastgov.com.
