A Fantastic And Festive Concord Christmas Parade: Watch

CONCORD, NH — Thousands of revelers lined the sidewalks of Loudon Road Saturday enjoying the first major event of the holiday season in capital city: The Concord Christmas Parade. Although the route was shortened by a tad this year, no one seemed to notice as a number of floats drove through the heart of the Heights from Hazen Drive to Canterbury Road. Floats piped holiday music, there were two high school bands, a fleet of firefighters and their engines, and even two presidential candidates were on hand to shake hands: Matt Matern, an attorney and businessman, and former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, both Republicans.

Organizer Brian Blackden, while exhausted from all the work, said everything seemed to work out pretty well.

"I think it was fantastic," he said. "I think people had a great time … there was not an unhappy face from where I was standing. I'm pleased. I haven't heard anything negative yet."

A standout this year, which received a lot of cheering from the crowds, was the inclusion of New Hampshire-based Recycled Percussion and its Chaos & Kindness monster truck in the parade. David Tille, a longtime activist in the city and New England's Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was the marshal for the parade and marched with Mayor Jim Bouley and Concord City Councilors Byron Champlin, Candace Bouchard, and Gail Matson.

While he will probably be recouping from the 2019 parade for a bit, Blackden has already begun thinking about next year: "Hopefully, next year, it will be bigger and better than ever."

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