Venice's 50th Holiday Parade Is Smaller by Design. Here's How the Rest of the Season Lines Up.

Old Betsy left active duty with the Venice Fire Department in 1959, but she didn't stop working. From the reserve fleet she helped fight the 1968 Christmas Eve fire at the Kash N' Karry across from the Venice Theatre. In 1973 she covered again when both of the city's engines were in for service on the same day. She turns 100 this year, along with the city. On Saturday, Nov. 28, she leads the 50th City of Venice Holiday Parade as grand marshal. Former City Councilman and Vice Mayor Earl Midlam and his wife Karen, who have kept her running for years, ride along with her.

The anniversary parade will also have fewer units than last year's.

Eighty units, after a hundred

The 2025 parade had the theme "All Aboard the Centennial" and opened the city's 100th-year celebration. It had 100 parade units and more than 3,350 participants, which made it the second-largest parade in Venice's history. More than 16,000 spectators lined the route that night.

This year the limit is 80 units. On the City of Venice's parade page, the city says the cap is there "to help ensure a safe and enjoyable event." Demand was there anyway. Applications opened July 8, the parade hit its limit on Oct. 5, and the city kept a waitlist until the portal closed on Oct. 16.

The city added one more change to keep the parade moving. This year, parade ushers will work the route to keep units from bunching up and leaving gaps. The city notes that every float, walker and drummer comes from volunteers, so asks for patience if a gap still opens. Each unit can include up to 10 vehicles, 10 bicycles, 10 golf carts and 30 walkers. Twenty fewer units takes a lot of people and machinery off a one-mile route.

The theme is "Golden Traditions!" and it covers three anniversaries at once: the parade's 50th, the city's Centennial and America's 250th birthday. The Centennial runs longer than the parade, though. The city's Centennial page puts the official celebration from Nov. 29, 2025 through May 2027. The official Centennial date was July 1, 2026, and the closing event is set for May 6, 2027. This parade is the high point of the Centennial's holiday season, and the celebration continues into spring.

Where the parade will and won't let you stand

The parade steps off at 6:30 p.m. from W. Venice Avenue and Avenue des Parques, beside City Hall and Hecksher Park. It heads east on W. Venice Avenue, turns south on Nokomis Avenue, then turns right on Turin Street and ends near Riviera Street by the Venice Community Center.

You can watch from:

• Both sides of Nokomis Avenue, from W. Venice Avenue to Turin Street
• The westbound lane of W. Venice Avenue, from Nokomis Avenue to Harbor Drive
• The eastbound lane of W. Venice Avenue, from Harbor Drive to Avenue des Parques
• Both sides of Turin Street, from Nokomis Avenue to Riviera Street

One block is closed to spectators: the eastbound lane of W. Venice Avenue between Harbor Drive and Nokomis Avenue. It's held for emergency access and public safety drone operations.

There are two stages. The Main Stage is at Harbor Drive and W. Venice Avenue, and the Second Stage is at Nokomis Avenue and W. Venice Avenue. Each one has an MC announcing the units, and judges from Venice Area Toastmasters Club 5486 pick six winners. If you're staying home, the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce runs a live stream starting around 6 p.m.

Two smaller details shape what the curb looks like. Floats aren't allowed to throw candy or trinkets, so anything handed out comes from walkers. Venice High School sports booster clubs sell snacks and drinks near City Hall, at Centennial Park, at Fountain Park and across from the library.

Fifteen minutes before the floats, at 5:45 p.m., runners in the third annual Elf Dash start down the route. The fun run covers 0.9 miles and every elf has to finish within 20 minutes. Registration costs $25, spots are limited, and the deadline is 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27.

The route closes at 2 p.m.

Most parade-day trouble comes from arriving after the barricades go up. Roads along the route start closing at 2 p.m. W. Venice Avenue is shut in both directions from U.S. 41 to Park Boulevard. Cross streets along Nokomis Avenue are closed too, including Miami Avenue, Pensacola Road, Milan Avenue and Turin Street. The city sends detours to Tampa Avenue or San Marco Drive. Circus Bridge stays open for getting on and off Venice Island, and traffic on the W. Venice Avenue Bridge is diverted. Roads reopen before 10 p.m.

Security is heavy. More than 50 officers from Venice Police, North Port Police, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, the University of South Florida and other agencies work the route. More than 7,500 linear feet of pedestrian barricades and over 35 hardened barricades go up that day.

City Hall has no public parking. Public lots are first come, first served:

• Centennial Park, 200 W. Venice Ave., entered from Tampa Avenue or Nassau Street
• Dr. Fred Albee Park, 245 St. Augustine Ave., from Tampa Avenue
• Graser Park, 740 Barcelona Ave.
• Hecksher Park, 450 W. Venice Ave., parking off Barcelona Avenue
• Venice Beach, 101 The Esplanade, by way of Grenada Avenue
• Legacy Park, 395 E. Venice Ave., from N. Seaboard Avenue
• Historic Venice Train Depot, 303 E. Venice Ave.
• Venice High School, 1 Indian Ave.

The Venice Community Center's south lot is reserved for Elf Dash runners, and you need a pass to park there. Permanent restrooms are at Centennial Park, Hecksher Park and Venice Beach. Portable units are placed along Nokomis Avenue and near Harbor Drive.

The parade sets the dates for everything else

The holiday parade is always held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Venice Christmas Boat Parade is always the Saturday after that. Once you know one date, you know the rest of the season.

The tree lighting comes the evening before the parade, the same day Elf Dash registration closes. The Visit Venice listing promises choirs, Santa and activity at downtown businesses. If you're looking for something away from the island, Wellen Wonderland starts Friday with a tree lighting, a Christmas market, ornament decorating, ice dancers and music. Saturday brings Dueling Pianos, a glow bike ride and visits with Santa.

A week later, the parade moves to the water

The boat parade works differently from the street parade. The city doesn't host it or coordinate the boats. Venice resident Joe Zgrzepski, the parade's president, manages it, and volunteers provide the boats, gasoline and decorations. Since a private resident and a group of captains started it in 1998, it has grown to more than 50 decorated boats. Applications and updates are posted at venicechristmasboatparade.net.

It also moves slowly, and that decides where you should sit. Boats leave the Albee Farm Road Bridge near Casey Key at 6 p.m. and head south at about 3 to 5 knots. It can take more than 45 minutes for them to reach the North/KMI Bridge and another 30-plus minutes to reach the end point just before MarineMax. The whole parade runs about two hours, and it doesn't turn around and come back. If you watch near the south end, you'll see the boats late in the evening.

The city's boat parade page lists these viewing areas: the west side along Venetian Waterway Park from the North/KMI Bridge south to MarineMax, the east side along Legacy Park and the Legacy Trail, and behind Venice High School. Viewing from Casey Key is limited. You can't watch from Nokomis Beach Park, the South Jetty or Circus Bridge, and chairs aren't allowed at or south of the Venice Urban Forest. Pops Sunset Bar & Grill, Dockside Waterfront Grill and Crow's Nest all have waterfront views, as does Venice Area Beautification Inc. Some of them may require reservations or tickets.

Don't set up chairs early. Last year, anything left along the Intracoastal, Venetian Waterway Park or the Legacy Trail before noon on parade day was thrown out as abandoned property. Nothing could go near the Marina Park Boat Ramp before 5 p.m. Expect the same rules again and check posted signs on the day.

If you'd rather work the parade than watch it

The 80 units are already full, but the city is still looking for ushers, volunteers and sponsors. Volunteer registration is open through Monday, Nov. 23. Volunteers are strongly encouraged to attend the safety meeting at City Hall at 6 p.m. that evening. Bring comfortable shoes and your own snacks. Businesses can sponsor the holiday sand art, ornament decorating, face painting or either stage by emailing Deputy Public Information Officer Brianne Lorenz.

At A Classic Approach, we love these first two Saturdays after Thanksgiving in Venice, from Old Betsy rolling down W. Venice Avenue to the boats lighting up the Intracoastal. If you have family coming in for the parade and want help working out where to park, where to watch or how to get off the island afterward, give Michael a call. And when you're ready to talk about your own plans, Schedule a Free Market Consultation.