SPECIAL EVENTS

The Houston Festival Foundation presents the 61st Annual H-E-B Holiday Parade: Adventures at Sea on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25, 2010, starting at 9:00am.

Ahoy thar mateys! Get ready to sail ye seven seas on a parade voyage of adventure that comes alive with boisterous sea shanty and dance, swashbucklin' sword-wieldin' seafarin' pirates, mariners, mermaids and more! Adventures at Sea – Get ready to sail the seven seas on a parade voyage of adventure. This year’s parade theme “Adventures at Sea” will showcase a 40-foot Pirate Ship as well as newly-designed floats, gigantic helium balloons and live performances by marching bands, cheerleaders, dance groups and more. Thousands of visitors will line the streets of downtown for one of the city’s longest-running holiday traditions.

The parade will wind its way through the streets of downtown made up of sky-scraping action and shining superstars.Over 5,000 participants in marching bands, drill teams, dancers, cheerleaders and clowns will bring to life this 61-year old tradition.

Highlighting the parade will be fantastic floats like family favorites Tom Turkey and Santa Claus. Plus:

Newly Designed Floats:

1. Tom Turkey

• sponsored by H-E-B Grocery Company
• Tom will proudly salute the crowd
• 30-40 costume characters dressed as pilgrims, Indians, scarecrow and ears of corn
• Guest celebrity will perform on float

2. Theatre Under the Stars Presents How the Grinch Stole Christmas - touring cast from the traveling musical production will perform “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”

3. Mrs Baird’s Texas Born Texas Bread Float

• The sweet debut of the new Mrs Baird’s float featuring baked goods, breads and cookies
• 20-30 costume characters including bakers, cookies and more

4. Santa Claus and His Reindeer Float

• High-flying Santa and his reindeer will ring in the holiday season
• 20-30 costume characters dressed as toys, elves, snowmen, etc.
• Guest celebrity will accompany Santa to perform on float

5. Adventures at Sea Float

• Float includes colorful sea creatures, dolphins and mermaids
• 30-40 costumed sea characters

6. Pirate Ship Float

• 40-foot pirate ship
• More than 30 costumed pirates and scallywags

Additional Performances (as of 10-1-10)

• The Rice University’s Marching Owl Band (MOB)
• Twitch from “So You Think You Can Dance” performing with Dancestaff.com
• More than 250 Varsity Spirit All American Cheerleaders from across the country performing to a medley of songs from the Beach Boys
• Bellville High School Brahmadoras dance performance

Helium Balloons

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Pepe the Prawn from Sesame Street
• Nemo
• Giant Sun
• Newspaper Retriever Puppy

Specialty Entries/Vehicles

• H-E-B Grocery Company’s Salute to Texas Float
• McDonald’s Ronald McDonald Shoe Car
• Salvation Army Giant Kettle and Harbor Lights Choir
• Houston Chronicle Star Car
• Borden Train and Elsie the Cow (this is questionable)
• Dancing Queen –disco party bus
• Radio Disney Party Van
• Houston Rockets Van, Clutch the Mascot and Power Dancers
• Astros Junction Jack and KTRH Astros RV
• Pancho Claus and low-riders
• Antique Fire Trucks
• Keystone Concrete Specialty Vehicle
• Arrow 93.1 Van
• Miri Piri Gatka Dall float and martial arts performers 

Marching Bands

• Willowridge Mighty Eagle Marching Band and Wings Drill Team
• Stephen F. Austin High School Sonic Boom Marching Band
• Bellaire High School Mighty Cardinal Band
• MacArthur High School Marching Band
• Raul Yzaguirre School for Success “Heart Beat of Soul” Band
• Wheatley High School Wild Cat "Purple Explosion" Marching Band
• Trinity Valley Community College Cardettes & Cardinal Regiment
• Madison High School Marching Band

Community Groups

• HPD Honor Guard and HPD Mounted Patrol
• Star Wars Costumed Characters
• Solange Dance Company – middle eastern dance with musical accompaniment including drums and zills
• X-treme Dance Company
• Yummy’s Clown Group
• Paso Fino Horses
• Ambassadors International Ballet Folkorico
• Miss Black Texas USA and Miss Black Teen USA
• Scroggins Elementary Toe Tappers
• Dancezone
• Texas InterCity Football, Inc. Drill Team and Cheerleaders
• Greater Houston Miniature Horse Club – miniature horses and riders dressed in colorful holiday attire

SPONSORS
H-E-B Grocery Company, The Arrow Classic Rock, 93.7 FM, Borden Milk Products, Dancestaff.com, Dancing Queen, DeMontrond Automotive, Hilton Americas Houston Hotel, Houston Astros, Houston Chronicle, Keystone Concrete Placement, KHOU-TV, Channel 11, KMJQ 102.1 FM, KTRH 740 AM, Land O Lakes Half and Half, McDonald's, Miri Piri Gatka Dall, Moody Gardens, Mrs Baird's, Praise 92.1 FM, Radio Disney 1590 AM, Rockefeller Hall, Salvation Army, Sunny 99.1 FM, Taco Cabana Catering, Theatre Under the Stars “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, and Wells Fargo.

Houston’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1949, when Santa arrived at Union Station and rode his sleigh to the downtown Foley's. That led to a 44-year tradition – the Foley's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In later years, Bank United and Washington Mutual each claimed the title sponsorship. In 2006, H-E-B was named the new title sponsor of the parade. The Parade also received a new look and logo, and is now referred to as the H-E-B Holiday Parade.

The parade is telecast live locally on KHOU-TV, Channel 11 and is syndicated in many other major markets throughout Texas and beyond.

Parade is free to the public anywhere along the parade route outside of the TV Zone. A limited number of reserved bleacher seats in the TV Zone are available for purchase. Proceeds from reserved seating ticket sales benefit the Houston Festival Foundation, Inc. education programs reaching more than 1,450 public schools each year and the Houston Chronicle Readers are Leaders literacy program.