Parade of Champions returns Saturday in Santa Clara

After a hiatus of more than 20 years, the Parade of Champions is set to make a triumphant return to Downtown Santa Clara this Saturday, September 28.

Started in 1945, the parade was suspended in 1995 when its founder, Larry Marsalli, retired. The parade is restarting this year honoring the community’s heritage and civic pride.

The parade, which starts at 11 a.m., begins at Bellomy and Lafayette Streets before heading northwest on Lafayette. It turns left on Benton St. and left again on Monroe St. before ending at Bellomy and Monroe.

Festivities begin a few hours before the parade, at 9 a.m. with food and street vendors around Franklin Square. Stores and dining establishments in Downtown Santa Clara will all be open until at least 3 p.m. on parade day.

This year’s parade will feature cultural dancers, robotics demonstrations, school marching bands, floats, and more. The grand marshals are Brandi Chastain (two-time world cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist), Jerry Smith (long-time head women’s soccer coach at Santa Clara University), Carney Lansford (former Little League and World Series champion), and Paul Rosa (long-time head football and baseball coach and athletic director at Wilcox High School).

For more information on this year’s Parade of Champions, click here.

The poster for the parade is below, courtesy of the Parade of Champions website.