Time for some radical honesty. I’ve spent the last fifteen years of my life going to theme parks on a very regular basis, and I’ve always looked at parades as a bothersome inconvenience. If you want to be more blunt about it, you could say I’ve been a Grinchy hater. They’re loud. They make navigating whatever park you’re in a circuitous challenge for multiple hours, and I’ve just never seen the appeal.
I blame my parents. We never went to parades as a kid, and when the subject came up, they were always very dismissive. At some point, I must have internalized their parade-hating biases and come to the unshakable conclusion that sitting in one place while people walk past you in themed outfits is a dumb waste of time. Well, it turns out I was wrong.
I went to Universal Orlando last week as part of a media event to check out the unveiling of all the Christmas theming and decorations (and visit the stunning Epic Universe!), and as part of our tour, we stopped to watch the Universal Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s. Truth be told, I wasn’t the happiest of the Whos when I found out the itinerary, but then it started and now I’m spiraling and questioning every long-held opinion I have.
To say I had a good time would be an understatement. I had a fantastic time, and I wasn’t the only one. Every Universal employee in the parade looked stoked to be there (apart from one balloon pilot frantically trying to steer away from a light post), and the little kid next to me must have high fived forty or fifty people before it was over. There were stilt walkers, dancers, costumed characters, themed Shrek floats, moving Minions Christmas trees, Santa and giant balloons that required dozens of people to steer like you see on TV at The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
There was also an energy that’s hard to describe. It was like a shared, in the moment happiness that I was a part of. It was like we were all on this ride together. Young kids, older kids, grandmas, weird uncles, goths, Vikings, monsters, artsy Millenials, moms with giant strollers, dudes trying to eat turkey legs in as few bites as possible, all of us, just standing there and watching the same parade go by as one collective unit.
I don’t know. It was like we were all on the same page and collectively giving ourselves up to the holiday. It was like we all just stopped and took the ride together, and even though it was about thirty minutes long, it felt like one ride around the fantastic Monsters Unchained track.
I’m not saying I’m a parade person. I can’t commit to that yet. What I am saying is I really, really enjoyed this parade. I actively want to go back to the Universal Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s because I had a terrific time, and based on how everyone else reacted, you almost certainly will too.
You can catch it, along with The Grinch, tons of holiday decorations, festive food offerings and more at Universal Studios Orlando between November 21st and January 4th. It runs everyday at either 5PM or 530 PM local time, depending on when the park is closing. Get a spot across from the big Christmas tree, get ready to smile and look closely for the little details. Universal is always great at those.
