Stroll on State Parade Rules & Guidelines
Celebrate the magic of the holidays at the annual Stroll on State Parade in downtown Rockford! To ensure a safe, enjoyable, and family-friendly experience for all, all participating groups must follow the official parade rules and regulations. Please review the guidelines below before registering or participating in the event.
Participant Age & Supervision
-
All members of any marching/walking unit should be at least 10 years of age.
-
All children must be supervised by an adult.
Vehicle & Float Requirements
-
Only vehicles pulling floats will be allowed in the parade. Exceptions will be considered for antique vehicles and other organized specialty car groups with prior approval.
-
Vehicles that are pulling floats should be incorporated as much as possible into the float and decorated accordingly.
-
No vehicle may accompany marching units without written approval of the parade committee.
-
Float platforms must be built on a trailer/frame no smaller than 4’ x 8’.
-
Floats must be sturdily constructed, with rider and participant safety paramount, not presenting a health or safety hazard to participants or spectators.
-
A photo of the towing vehicle is required with the entry form submission.
Safety Equipment & Construction Standards
-
Fire extinguishers rated 2A-10BC are required on all floats, if electrical devices are used.
-
All electrical devices must be properly grounded.
-
All floats must have handholds or standup holds for each rider on the float.
-
Any self-propelled float must have a spotter beside the float, who is in two-way communication with the float driver.
-
No participant may jump on a float to ride and may not interfere with any other unit in any way.
-
Float capacity will not be exceeded.
-
No participant will dismount from a float during the parade route.
-
Participants will not have legs, feet, etc. extending past the sides, front, or rear of the float, as this is a safety hazard.
Signage & Music
-
All banners must be professionally lettered and legible.
-
The word “Christmas” must be spelled out correctly – please do not use “X-Mas.”
-
Only Christmas-themed music will be allowed.
-
Use of high-intensity sound making devices is strongly discouraged.
-
Sound of any type must be approved by the SOS Merry & Bright Holiday Parade Committee and must be played at a compatible sound level.
-
Parade officials have the complete authority in this matter and reserve the right to withdraw any unit that does not comply with instructions to turn down or turn off sound when instructed to do so.
-
Failure to comply with officials’ instructions will result in immediate removal from the parade and jeopardize future participation.
Performance & Parade Flow
-
Any parade unit that performs exhibitions en route must be a moving demonstration as not to cause gaps in the parade.
-
A space of 50’ between each unit will be enforced.
-
If for any reason a gap of more than 50’ is created, marching units must increase their pace to close the gap.
-
All units are required to close the gap between units when instructed by parade officials.
-
Failure to do so may warrant removal from the parade.
-
All marching units must maintain forward motion.
-
Routines that cause gaps will not be permitted.
-
Stopping or reversing motion will result in removal from the parade.
Staging & Check-in
-
All float units are to be in their assigned space in the parade staging area no later than 12:30 p.m.
-
A copy of the rules, signed by the person in charge of the entry, must be in their possession at the time of inspection, and a copy is to be attached to the parade application.
Candy, Handouts & Campaigning
-
To increase the safety of the children watching the parade, no candy or other items may be thrown to spectators on the sidelines during the parade.
-
You may walk alongside the parade unit and place candy in the hands of attendees.
-
If parade units want to hand out anything other than candy (cannot be a paper handout), it must be pre-approved.
-
Political or social cause campaigning is not permitted.
-
Paper handouts of any kind are not permitted.
Animals in Parade Units
-
Only Stroll on State designated animals will be permitted in parade units.
