Richmond Christmas Parade flips its route for 2026
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Last year's parade beginning. Image: Courtesy of Caroline Martin Photography via Dominion Energy Richmond Christmas Parade
The Richmond Christmas Parade is changing its route for the first time in its recent history.
Why it matters: Beginning this year, the parade will start at the Children's Hospital of Richmond, giving patients and their families the first — and usually best — view of the parade.
State of play: The Dominion Energy Richmond Christmas Parade route change is basically a reversal of the one that's been in place since the 1980s.
- Now, instead of beginning at the Science Museum of Virginia near the Fan, it'll end there.
- The start point moves to 10th and Marshall Streets, where the procession will pass the Children's Tower and Pavilion before turning right onto Broad Street.
- The changes also make permanent last year's three-block extension, which pushed the longtime end point from 7th to 10th Street to include the hospital.
What they're saying: The new start point "is an extraordinary gift that reinforces how deeply this community cares for the children we serve," CHoR president Elias Neujahr said in a statement.
Plus, as part of the change, the parade will now have a fan zone near 8th and Broad, with food vendors and activities.
Fun fact: The Richmond Christmas Parade has been around in some iteration since the 1950s, when it was the Thalhimers' Toy Parade through 1974, per the parade website.
- It went on hiatus for 15 years and came back in 1985 as the Ukrop's Richmond Christmas Parade before Dominion took over as the sponsor in 2010.
- But for all of its history, it marched west to east, per Richmond Magazine.
- Starting this year, it'll run east to west.
If you go: The 2026 Richmond Christmas Parade is Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10:15am.