Parade Organizers Hope To Make Tulsa 'Christmas Parade Capital'

Tulsa is trying to become the Christmas parade capital of the world as organizers hope to double the attendance at the downtown parade this year.

This year, the parade route has changed and will see more than 50 floats will roll down Boston Avenue.

One of the reasons for the new route is so they can fit the big balloons, like 45-foot tall Sesame Street characters.

“Christmas” is coming home to downtown Tulsa. For five years the parade went without "Christmas" in its title, but Josh McFarland is bringing it back.

"We worked very hard to get a sponsor that would make it the Tulsa Christmas Parade, and now that we have that, it should be able to stay the Tulsa Christmas Parade for as long as we keep our name on the permit, and we don't plan on going anywhere," McFarland said.

He and others started the Tulsa Hills Christmas parade when "Christmas" was dropped from the downtown parade's name.

"Myself amongst others in Tulsa were called to action and, the grassroots team that was formed, we went forward and I think, sometimes, when you're the last one standing, by default, you're in that spot," McFarland said.

He said he'll have snow at the parade - even if it's not in the forecast - so bring your jackets and boots.

Parade organizers are focusing on quality over quantity when it comes to the floats. You'll see Santa Claus, big floats and four-story balloons towering over the parade.

McFarland is hoping everyone supports the effort for it to become the largest Christmas parade on the planet.

"This can be a good thing for Tulsa; I think everybody can see that. If this is the world's largest Christmas parade in the next ten years, it's going to make everybody in Tulsa happy. It's a destination place and I think all Tulsans can get behind that," he said.

McFarland said, "When I was younger I had a Christmas parade and my kids are five and seven years old and now they'll get to have a Christmas parade just like I had and that means a lot to me."

The Downtown Christmas Parade will be on December 13th and the Tulsa Hills Christmas Parade rolls a week earlier on December 6th.