The Hatteras Village Christmas Parade is celebrating its 33rd year in 2024, and the annual event will be held on Saturday, December 14, at 2:00 p.m.
This year, the parade will have a revised route in order to work around the closure of Slash Creek Bridge on N.C. Highway 12, which is undergoing a months-long replacement project.
“We have actually been looking at this for months, in anticipation of the closure,” said Karla Jarvis of the Hatteras Village Civic Association. “We just knew the traditional route wasn’t going to work because there was really no place for the floats to do a turnaround down in the center of the village, which is going to be the main concentrations of parade watchers. The safety of everyone was always at the forefront in the planning.”
The parade originated in 1991 with local fire trucks and emergency vehicles, a handful of impressive floats, a mini horse, and a grand finale of Santa Claus riding high on a boat.
Immediately a hit with residents and participants alike, there has been a parade almost every year since the original 1991 event, with the exception of post-Isabel 2003, (when there was an “unofficial” parade with Red Hat Society women and a collection of kids on bikes), and 2020, when the parade was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
This year, while the parade will still march down N.C. Highway 12 in Hatteras Village, there will be some major changes, as the parade will start on the southern side of the Slash Creek Bridge, and will continue south towards Eagle Pass Road.
“We eventually came up with a reverse route,” said Jarvis. “Large trucks and floats will be staged down Kohler [Road] because they can go down to Altona [Lane], make the loop, and come get in line. The smaller floats will stage down the Marlin Club road. Sheriff Doughtie will lead the parade, as usual, and we’ll alternately pull from each staged line until all floats are engaged.
“They will continue down the route, turn at Eagle Pass, and exit the village or meet everyone out at the Hatteras Civic Center for refreshments afterwards, where winners will be announced.”
There will be no parking allowed on Eagle Pass Road, and the Dare Country Sheriff’s Department will be stationed at either end of the road to direct traffic as needed. Parking at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum and walking up to the parade route is permitted and encouraged. Ridesharing into the village is also encouraged.
In 2023, roughly 30 entries signed up for the parade, and organizers are hopeful for an equally large number of participants in 2024, despite the new traffic pattern and parade route.
“It will be a little different, sure, and a lot more work. But we just didn’t see a reason to cancel this much-loved tradition for either of those issues,” said Jarvis.
Click here to view highlights from the last Hatteras Village Parade, which was held on December 9, 2023. For more information on the parade and other Hatteras village events, visit https://www.facebook.com/HatterasVillage/.
