Sea Isle will replace its traditional holiday parade with a "procession"

Don’t call it a parade. It will be a procession.

Sea Isle City is replacing its traditional holiday parade this year with what Mayor Leonard Desiderio is calling a colorful “procession” of live music, floats, carolers and costumed characters on Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving.

The procession will begin at 6 p.m. and roll down John F. Kennedy Boulevard to Excursion Park, followed by the city’s holiday tree-lighting ceremony hosted by the mayor and Santa Claus.

The city announced last month that it would not hold its traditional holiday parade this year following complaints that it took too long to arrive downtown while spectators unhappily waited outside in the cold.

In years past, the parade traveled through different parts of Sea Isle before culminating on Landis Avenue in the downtown area. It served as Santa’s grand arrival for the caroling and tree-lighting ceremonies that followed in Excursion Park.

The parade’s cancellation was greeted with disappointment from the public, including a "Bring Back the Sea Isle City Christmas Parade" online petition drive that urged the city to restore the holiday tradition.

Responding to those complaints, Desiderio announced plans for a “holiday procession” – not a parade – during remarks at a City Council meeting on Wednesday.

Desiderio said the procession will feature participants “marching, walking and skipping” down JFK Boulevard to Excursion Park. They will be greeted by Santa and Mrs. Claus for the tree-lighting ceremony.

“This is like the 30th time I’ve said it this week,” Desiderio noted of how many times he has been telling people that a holiday procession would be held.

    The city's traditional holiday parade featured a collection of shimmering floats, including this one from 2023 that showcased the characters from the Disney animated children's film "Frozen."
  

Desiderio invited people who would like to march in the procession on Nov. 28 to contact his office or Katherine Custer, the city’s director of Community Services.

Holiday festivities in Sea Isle will also include the Chamber of Commerce’s Winter Village celebration on Friday, Nov. 28, and Saturday, Nov. 29, in Excursion Park. Desiderio said the event will be larger than ever and includes a food court, merchandise sales and activities for children.

Although the city’s traditional holiday parade will not be held on Thanksgiving weekend, Sea Isle will celebrate Christmas with a “First Responders Holiday Parade” on Friday, Dec. 12. It will feature a fleet of decorated vehicles from fire departments and EMS companies from across the region.

The First Responders Parade will begin at 6 p.m. at the Sea Isle dog park in the north end of town, travel down Landis Avenue to 83rd Street, then return north on Central Avenue and end at the fire house on JFK Boulevard, Desiderio said.

Among those who spoke at the City Council meeting Wednesday was Brendan Haddon, an Ocean View resident who organized the online petition drive urging Sea Isle to restore the holiday parade.

Haddon said the history of the Christmas parade dates to 1962, the same year of the infamous Ash Wednesday storm that pummeled the Jersey Shore and destroyed large sections of Sea Isle.

Sea Isle’s mayor in 1962 initially did not want to hold a holiday parade in the storm’s aftermath, but was persuaded to do so by two local teenagers as part of the city’s recovery from the devastation, Haddon told the Council members.

    Brendan Haddon, who organized an online petition drive to bring back the holiday parade, address City Council.
  

Haddon called the parade a “true tradition” in Sea isle. He thanked Desiderio for bringing back the holiday celebration, but expressed disappointment that the mayor didn’t make a formal announcement about the event.

“Hopefully, next year people will talk about it and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Haddon said of the parade’s cancellation.

In closing his remarks, Haddon wished the Council members “Merry Christmas."

Haddon said he has always enjoyed watching the parade over the years and simply does not want to see it disappear.

"It's a true Christmas celebration. This is the start of the holiday season," he said in an interview.

Already, holiday decorations have turned Sea Isle into a winter wonderland. They include garland, bows and wreaths wrapped around the Victorian-style lamp posts lining the JFK Boulevard entryway into town.

The centerpiece of the decorations is a 30-foot-tall artificial Christmas tree overlooking Excursion Park. It will be the focal point of the city's tree-lighting ceremony after the procession makes it way down the boulevard.

    Decorated light poles line the JFK Boulevard entryway into town to create a festive atmosphere.