For Immediate Release: Monday, November 10, 2025
Everyone loves a parade, and this year’s Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade, to be held on Saturday, Nov. 22, will feature more units than ever before when it steps off at 10 a.m. in the Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District. The annual parade begins at Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street, proceeding south on Georgia Avenue to Silver Spring Avenue.
7News meteorologists Brian van de Graaff and Eileen Whelan will host the parade, announcing participants from the grandstand located at the intersection of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring. Spectators will enjoy live performances from the Akhmedova Ballet, the Maryland Youth Ballet, cultural dance groups, and high school marching bands. The parade begins with a harvest and Thanksgiving theme and ends with holiday music, a Hanukkah bear, reindeer, elves, and Santa Claus. The parade will serve as the kick-off to Montgomery County’s 250th Birthday commemoration, to be celebrated on Sept. 6, 2026.
With almost 200 marching units, this year’s event will be one of the most vibrant in the parade’s history. Spectators can expect the rhythmic sounds of award-winning marching bands, including the Roaring Bengals from Blake High School and the Spirit of Clarksburg High School. Diverse cultural performers, including Bolivia’s Caporales San Simón, Mexico’s Fundación Elena Ballet Folklorico, and Bangladesh’s Monjuri Nrittalaya, will bring a global flair to the celebration through dance, costume, and music.
“This parade brings out the best of who we are as a community,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “It is a chance for people from across Montgomery County to come together, see the talent of our young people, and enjoy traditions that we’ve built over generations. As we head toward our County’s 250th birthday in 2026, I hope residents take a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come from our agricultural beginnings to a community known for its diversity, creativity, and compassion. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in Silver Spring as we start the celebration of this milestone together.”
New to the parade this year will be a farmers’ harvest unit celebrating Montgomery County’s agricultural roots and the farmers who produce the crops that make our Thanksgiving traditions possible. Montgomery County celebrates its 250th birthday in 2026, marking two and a half centuries of history, innovation, and community. Established in 1776, the County has grown from a collection of rural settlements into one of the most diverse and dynamic communities in the nation, known for its vibrant neighborhoods, thriving business centers, cultural institutions, and a commitment to inclusion.
Adding to the visual spectacle will be floats, inflatables, vintage car clubs, dog parades, honor guards, roller derby skaters, toy soldiers, giant turkeys, and Santa and Mrs. Claus.
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The parade will be held rain or shine. For more information, visit https://silverspringdowntown.com/events/thanksgiving-parade.
Ongoing Purple Line construction work makes traveling by public transportation a great idea. The parade route is a short walk from the Silver Spring Metro Station on the Red Line.
The parade has reached capacity for marching groups, but interested individuals can still volunteer to be a character in the parade. The Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade is always looking for individual volunteers to be elves and pilgrims on floats, reindeer, and penguins in the parade, or to help lead balloons. Volunteers must be 13 or older, and available from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22. Volunteers meet at the Silver Spring Civic Building at One Veterans Place at Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street. More information can be found on the Thanksgiving Parade website at https://silverspringdowntown.com/events/thanksgiving-parade.
Read the original article at mcgov