WRAL to Broadcast 60th Annual Raleigh Christmas Parade Live Coverage Begins at 10am, Saturday, November 20th

The "world's fastest man", Justin Gatlin will be the parade's Grand Marshal

A holiday tradition continues on Saturday, November 20th when the 60th Annual Raleigh Christmas Parade rolls through downtown. WRAL’s live coverage begins at 10am and showcase floats, clowns, twirlers, dancers and North Carolina’s finest marching bands as they take to the streets. WRAL Morning anchors Bill Leslie and Lynda Loveland, along with Trafficologist Mark Roberts, host the festivities.

Raleigh’s own Justin Gatlin, the “world’s fastest man” and 100-meter Olympic gold medallist, will serve as Grand Marshal this year. He will greet approximately 60,000 people expected to line the streets, and over 200,000 expected to watch the live coverage on WRAL-TV and the high-definition broadcast on WRAL-DT. Special guests Michael O’Leary (Dr. Rick Bauer, The Guiding Light) and his wife, former Miss North Carolina, Joni Parker, will also make a special appearance during the broadcast.

The parade will begin in downtown Raleigh at the corner of Hillsborough and St. Mary’s Street. The parade then travels east on Hillsborough, turns south at the Capitol on Salisbury Street and ends at the Raleigh Convention and Conference Center.

Parade-goers and viewers at home can also see some of their favorite WRAL personalities on WRAL’s float: Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel, 5 On Your Side’s Monica Laliberte, meteorologist Chris Thompson and anchors David Crabtree, Debra Morgan and Laurie Clowers.

POSTED: November 17, 2004