This weekend’s Ocala Christmas Parade bringing visitors, road closures

The highly popular Ocala Christmas Parade returns this weekend, and the event will cause numerous road closures and detours throughout the city.

The following road closure will be in effect on Saturday, December 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

• SE 25th Avenue (from E Fort King Street to SE 14th Street).

Additional road closures will be in effect on Saturday from 3 p.m. to midnight:

• State Road 40 (from NE 3rd Street to N Pine Avenue/US-441).
• SE/NE 25th Avenue (from SE 14th Street to State Road 492).
• E Fort King Street (from SE 30th Avenue to SE 22nd Avenue).
• NE 8th Avenue (from State Road 40 to NE 14th Street/State Road 492).

When heading to the event, drivers should use the following detours:

• NE 25th Avenue (southbound): E Fort King Street to SE 22nd Avenue to SE 14th Street, back to SE 25th Avenue.
• SE 25th Avenue (northbound): SE 14th Street to SE 30th Avenue to E Fort King Street to NE 36th Avenue to State Road 40 to State Road 492, back to NE 25th Avenue.
• State Road 40 (eastbound): US 441 to NW/NE 14th Street/State Road 492, back to State Road 40.
• State Road 40 (westbound): NE 3rd Street to NE 25th Avenue to State Road 492 to US 441, back to State Road 40.
• SE/NE 25th Avenue (northbound): SE 14th Street to SE 30th Avenue to E Fort King Street to NE 36th Avenue to State Road 40, back to NE 25th Avenue.
• NE/SE 25th Avenue (southbound): State Road 492 to NE 36th Avenue to E Fort King Street to SE 30th Avenue to SE 14th Street, back to SE 25th Avenue.
• E Fort King Street (westbound): SE 30th Avenue to SE 14th Street to SE 22nd Avenue, back to E Fort King Street.
• E Fort King Street (eastbound): SE 22nd Avenue to SE 14th Street to SE 30th Avenue, back to E Fort King Street.
• NE 8th Avenue (southbound): State Road 492 to US 441 to State Road 40 (westbound), or State Road 492 to State Road 40 (eastbound).

There may be other minor road closures on Saturday as determined by the Ocala Police Department.

Any chairs that were placed along the parade route prior to Wednesday, December 8 were removed by the City of Ocala Public Works Department. To retrieve chairs that may have been removed, call the Public Works Department at 352-351-6733 to schedule a time to pick the chairs up.

For more information on this year’s parade, visit the Ocala Christmas Parade website.