Annual OKC Christmas Parade On River Canceled

Monday, December 12th 2016, 2:58 pm

By: News 9

Organizers of the Annual OKC Christmas Parade announced the parade scheduled for Sunday, December 18 on the Oklahoma River, has been canceled. Parade organizers say the downturn in the economy has made it impossible to replace two major sponsors.

The City of Oklahoma City has been a major sponsor of the event since the first parade in 2004. However, the City was not able to financially support the parade this year. Another major sponsor recently notified the parade that due to a challenging economy this past year they would also cancels their support.

“We appreciate the support we have receive from the City of Oklahoma City.. and all of our sponsors,” stated Parade Chairman Mike McAuliffe. “The past few years have been challenging after losing major sponsorship dollars from the energy sector, but we have been able to keep the river parade afloat! We are committed to securing new sponsors and continuing this holiday tradition in 2017.”

The inaugural parade took place in 2004 to officially open the Oklahoma River and to celebrate the completion of the MAPS 1 initiative.