The 51st annual Dayton Holiday Festival Grande Illumination and Children’s Parade will return downtown this November with increased safety protocols following the shootings of the 2022 celebration.
The 2023 festival will light up the courthouse square on Friday, Nov. 24, according to the Downtown Dayton Association.
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The Dayton Holiday Festival 2022 children’s parade was disrupted when a fight between a group of youths led to a man pulling out a gun and firing a shot into the air, according to Dayton police. The sound of gunfire caused the parade crowd to flee the area, and the parade was subsequently cancelled. No one was injured in the incident. The investigation is ongoing.
This year, event organizers worked extensively with the Dayton Police Department to conduct a thorough analysis of the celebration. Discussions about safety protocols and elements of the event’s programming between local police, event organizers and other community members have continued since the incident.
“Continuing this beloved holiday tradition is important to our community,” Sandra K. Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, said in a news release. “In doing so, the comfort and safety of our guests at the Dayton Holiday Festival remains our highest priority. It is our obligation to carefully scrutinize every aspect of the event to ensure that we are doing everything we can to maintain this 50-year center tradition in a safe and welcoming place for everyone.”
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To prioritize guest safety, the Dayton Holiday Festival Grand Lighting and Children’s Parade will begin one hour earlier this year and run from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM. There will be an increased security presence at the parade using additional security and duty resources. Police officers will be positioned around the event to increase police visibility and coverage. Bicycle patrol officers have also been added to the event’s security staff.
More details about the 2023 Dayton Holiday Festival will be released later. For more information, visit https://www.downtowndayton.org/.
