Interested In Marching Or Volunteering At The MOCO Thanksgiving Parade? Apply Now

SILVER SPRING, MD — Montgomery County residents who want to get in on the action of the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade can apply to march in it or volunteer. It's held the Saturday before Thanksgiving — that's Nov. 20 this year — and applications are due Sept. 27.

Groups can apply to march in the parade, and volunteers can fill the following positions the day of:

• elves and pilgrims on floats
• reindeer and penguins in the parade
• lead balloons

Volunteers commit to staying at the parade from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Everyone at the parade — both those working it and those watching — will be required to wear masks the entire time. The parade was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Some groups in the parade could include marching bands, costumed characters, police groups, church groups and more. There are guidelines for marching, such as float requirements for some groups.

The parade attracts people from around the DMV, as it's the only Thanksgiving Parade in the metro D.C. area, the Silver Spring Downtown said.

"It's a tradition," a Washington, D.C. resident told Patch at the 2019 Parade. "We come here every year."

To apply to march in the parade as a group, click here.

To volunteer for the parade, click here.