{"id":251829,"date":"2025-09-24T19:42:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T19:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251829\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T19:42:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T19:42:08","slug":"gm-financial-parade-of-lights-2025-in-fort-worth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251829\/","title":{"rendered":"GM Financial Parade of Lights 2025 in Fort Worth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\">Fort Worth doesn\u2019t ease into the holidays. It flips a switch. On November 23, the GM Financial Parade of Lights will blaze through downtown for the 43rd year, turning a mile and a half of city streets into a corridor of marching bands, antique cars, glowing floats, and Santa himself.<\/p>\n<p>What started in 1983 as a way to breathe life back into the city\u2019s central business district has become one of the biggest illuminated parades in the country. More than a hundred entries will roll past thousands of spectators this year, carrying out the theme\u2014\u201cSparkle, Dazzle, Shine!\u201d\u2014with fresh designs, brighter lights, and interactive flourishes. Families know to stick around until the finale, when Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive on a brand-new float designed to close the night with a bang.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s Grand Marshal comes with a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that stretches from the battlefield to outer space. Chris Cassidy, a retired Navy SEAL and former NASA astronaut, now leads the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing chosen as the Grand Marshal for the GM Financial Parade of Lights is truly a remarkable honor,\u201d said Chris Cassidy. \u201cAs someone who has dedicated my life to service, both as a Navy SEAL and an astronaut, it\u2019s incredibly humbling to be part of an event that celebrates the spirit of community and togetherness. The Parade of Lights is a beloved holiday tradition and a reflection of Fort Worth\u2019s vibrant heart and the values that bring us all together. To play a role in this cherished celebration, which lights up the city and brings joy to so many, is a privilege I deeply appreciate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reserved \u201cStreet Seats\u201d start at $15.75 for children and $19.50 for adults, offering the best views along the 1.59-mile route. But the parade remains free for anyone who prefers to stake out a curb and let the holiday spirit wash over them.<\/p>\n<p>Keeping the tradition alive takes a small army. Hundreds of volunteers manage logistics, sponsors like TCU, the Texas Rangers, and Frost Bank cover the costs, and local organizations fill out the lineup with floats, carriages, and marching bands. The result is one of the city\u2019s signature nights, when downtown is transformed into a glowing corridor of community pride.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GM Financial Parade of Lights Info:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Street Seats:<\/strong> Reserved spots along the route start at $15.75 for kids and $19.50 for adults. <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthparadeoflights.org\/parade-information\/street-seats\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Buy tickets here.)\" rel=\"noopener\">Buy tickets here.<\/a><\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Join the Parade:<\/strong> Floats, vehicles, marching bands, and other entries are open to individuals and organizations. <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthparadeoflights.org\/participate\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Apply online.)\" rel=\"noopener\">Apply online.<\/a><\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Volunteer:<\/strong> From setup to crowd support, the parade depends on hundreds of volunteers. <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthparadeoflights.org\/participate\/volunteer\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Sign up here.)\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here.<\/a><\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li><strong>Sponsor:<\/strong> As a nonprofit event, the parade relies on community and corporate sponsors. <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthparadeoflights.org\/sponsors\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Learn more.)\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn more.<\/a><\/li>\n<p>&#13;\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fort Worth doesn\u2019t ease into the holidays. It flips a switch. On November 23, the GM Financial Parade&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":251830,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,12043,12047,2879,2105,7371,7372,9730,7709,133259,133260,358,7453,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-251829","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arts-and-culture","10":"tag-downtown-fort-worth","11":"tag-events","12":"tag-food-and-drink","13":"tag-fort-worth","14":"tag-fortworth","15":"tag-fwtx-staff","16":"tag-holidays","17":"tag-parade-of-lights","18":"tag-santa-claus","19":"tag-texas","20":"tag-top-story","21":"tag-tx","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-united-states-of-america","24":"tag-unitedstates","25":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115260985114748088","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}