2016 Holiday Parade, Street Festival in Huntington Village

About 5,000 to 10,000 people will flock to the Seventh Annual Holiday Parade and Street Festival in Huntington Village to enjoy a day’s worth of entertainment and activities on Saturday, Nov. 26.

Among the many attractions, the Town announced several new additions to this year’s event, including an expanded gingerbread house competition, an updated interactive map of the event, a new Holiday Parade Facebook page and a scavenger hunt.

The Holiday Parade and Street Festival starts with Small Business Saturday and features Long Island’s Largest Electric Light Parade as well as Santa’s arrival at the end of the parade.

“Each year, new events and features get added to make the day even more special, and this year is no exception,” Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said in a press release. “That’s why people from all across Long Island come early and stay late for an entire day of family fun.”

Here’s what you can expect at the Seventh Annual Holiday Parade and Street Festival in Huntington Village:

The parade will kick off at 6 p.m. starting at Big H Shopping Center on New York Avenue and will continue north to Main Street and then west on Main Street to West Neck Road.

The parade will feature a float theme, “Cartoon Holiday,” and judges will vote for the best floats in several categories.

Fire departments will then go head-to-head in a friendly competition to decide who gets to play Santa Claus in the 2017 parade. Businesses and organizations are encouraged to participate.

The North Shore Pops have been invited back to rock out in front of the holiday tree, located at 10 Wall St., immediately after the parade.

The Pops’ performance will be one of many forms of entertainment throughout the day. Carolers will be strolling through the Village and there will be music on and in front of the reviewing stand before the parade.

Following the tree lighting ceremony, the festival will continue on Wall Street where there will be a DJ playing music, local merchant booths, hot chocolate, face painting, an area to pay to visit Santa Claus, bouncy houses and more.

Holiday crafts and activities for children at both the Huntington Public Library and Panera Bread will kick off at noon.

Last year’s Gingerbread House competition was so popular that the Town created a second category for home bakers. The finalists in both categories will be displayed in storefronts on New York Avenue. For more information, go here. The deadline to enter the competition has been changed to Monday, Nov. 7.

The interactive map, which can be accessed on your smartphone, will offer information about participating merchants and if they’re offering any good deals. The map site received a total of 2,789 hits last year, including 1,239 on the day of the parade and festival. Check out more details on the Town’s website.

The event's new Facebook page will help the festival expand its social media presence and give those who are coming to the parade a different avenue to obtain information. A coupon sheet on the page will include deals from around the Village. You can print the coupons out before the parade and festival. Applications will also be on the Facebook page for people to download.

Free parking will be available at the Huntington train station with a free shuttle from 5 to 10 p.m.

Are you a group or a company that wants to be part of the parade? Download an application here.

Image via Huntington Holiday Parade Facebook page