The 2024 Reisterstown Festival Parade

Saturday September 7, 2024

9am-10:45am

Keep the fun going!  As the Parade ends, you’ll see, hear, and find The Reisterstown Festival beginning “next door” at Hannah More Park!

The Reisterstown Festival Parade Sponsored by Weis Markets

Emcee: John Flaks

Fire Companies!

The Festival awards each department a donation in appreciation of their service and parade participation!

Cool Vehicles! All kinds!

Communities… Neighbors… Friends!

A Classic American Main Street Parade!

A Classic Reisterstown Tradition!

YOU can be in the Reisterstown Festival Parade!

It’s your chance to be a STAR!


Do you or someone you know want to promote a local group, business, non-profit, school, or candidate or just participate as yourself- perhaps in an antique car (or a library cart?) or costume, or assemble a group of friends or family to do something fun: maybe create a float, ride a motorcycle … there a literally hundreds of imaginative ways you could create a memorable and rewarding Reisterstown Festival Parade experience!  Everyone, especially marching bands (!) is welcome to  to JOIN OUR PARADE!   Everyone loves creative, interesting, “cool”, entertaining, and FUN participation – you and those watchin!  Truck & trailer “floats”, antique, show, military, fire or other collectible cars, trucks, motorcycles & other vehicles, celebrity participants, character costumes etc.

There’s still time!  It’s Fun! and..

There’s NO FEE to sign up!!

 

 

Click Here to Register

Watch the Parade

  • When: 9:00am Saturday September 7, 2024 (Registration for participants begins at
  • Where: At the intersection of Cockeysmill Road & Main Street (also known as MD Route 140).
  • Route:   South on Main Street (MD140) which becomes Reisterstown Road mid-parade to its final stop at the traffic light at the entrance to the Reisterstown Shopping Center (site of Chick-Fil-A, Big Lots, etc) which is the same light for the entrance to Franklin High School.

To make your Reisterstown Festival Parade experience more enjoyable and safe, here are some suggestions:

  • Although you may stand or sit along the curb and sidewalk, you may want to consider bringing a portable chair or blanket for more comfort.
  • Bring bottled water if hot or you might need a beverage.
  • Bring a camera or cell phone to take pictures. (If you post any pictures on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, please tag us – we want to see your photos too! Tag our social media accounts and/or use #Hashtag #ReisterstownFest
  • For everyone’s safety, please do not approach any moving Parade units. Let them come to you or wait for them to pass by.
  • Here is the complete Parade Route map.  Note that some units will be turning into the Festival grounds prior to the actual end of the Parade so, to see all the units, it is best to watch from the areas prior to or around the judges stand.

Parade Participant Information

Can you imagine being in a parade- maybe building a float with your group or business, driving your classic car, skating, marching... Do it your way (within reason of course) in the Reisterstown Festival Parade! All are invited to register to walk, ride, or otherwise complete the parade route. This is a great way to show your community spirit and creativity and/or promote your group or business. Even better: it's fun, it's free, and you can win awards! Please read on to find out more about Festival Parade Day and a few important rules participants need to know (click both corresponding buttons), then scroll down the page to Register! Parade Registrations that meet the Festival's requirements will receive lineup and other instructions prior to the Festival.

  • If you’re in the parade, please keep all creativity and content positive for all by avoiding scary, inappropriate, divisive, or disrespectful content that might spoil anyone’s fun. With over 33 years of presenting these parades, people know and expect our parade to be a fun family-friendly event.  With often thousands of diverse attendees ranging in ages from 1 month to 101+, we work hard  to continue making sure everyone has the best, safe, fun, and enjoyable Reisterstown Festival Parade every year. While inappropriate content is extremely rare, it is important to make sure all participants understand there are boundaries on parade content, and rules will be enforced.  Any Festival Committee member with the official Staff T-shirt (and of course local law-enforcement) has full authority to stop, temporarily hold aside, and request removal of any parade content that is, or might be offensive or disturbing based on their sole judgment, observed negative reactions, or based on credible attendee complaints.
  • If a participant cannot or does not remove or modify the concerning content to the Staff Member’s satisfaction, the participant will be required to stay out of the parade line, forfeiting their original spot if necessary, and must wait for and receive the Parade Coordinator’s or Festival President’s (or their directly authorized designee) approval to continue in the parade. The wait for the final decision on the content could be very short, but it may not be- this cannot be guaranteed – it will take as long as necessary for an authorized Festival Officer to arrive, review the issue, and make a final decision.
  • Due to fixed and often unpredictable high priority issues and duties, plus the inherent transportation complexities during the Parade (closed roads, large crowds, police restrictions, a parade area over 1.5 miles long and large Park (dozens of acres) where they may and when/where the participant is waiting, we regret that we cannot guarantee the wait will be before the parade’s end time.  To avoid this, participant’s best and perhaps only option may be to modify or remove the concerning content.
  • We regret any potential inconvenience but we hope you understand that as a public family event, we monitor for potentially inappropriate or offensive parade content.
  • All participating units (except Marching Bands): please have a representative sign in at the registration table the day of the Parade as soon as you arrive. To help make it easier for you, it is recommended that you designate a person for this task and coordinate sign in. Only one person per registered unit needs to register. Check in/registration tables will be open at 6:45am. Please try and register as early as possible (please no later than 7:30am) to allow plenty of time to have all units lined up and any issues resolved before we start. There will be a registration table at Franklin Elementary School and another at Harvestview Road. See staging area maps.
  • Marching Bands are the only participants who do not need to report to the Registration Table and do not have to display a unit number.
  • If you are also a Festival Vendor, you will be given a special Vendor parking pass at the registration table to show when entering the Festival grounds. Please contact the Parade Coordinator before Sept 3rd to ensure you receive the appropriate parking pass.

All participants should download and review all Festival Rules and Regulations.

Here are some additional points to consider:

You may toss candy to spectators.  No other item is permitted to be distributed without the prior approval of the Parade Coordinator.

Vehicles – For safety reasons, no smoking of tires, burning rubber, reckless driving, etc.

Prominently display your unit number at all times (Marching Bands exempt). Vehicles should display their unit number on the front driver’s side window (low enough not to impair driver vision) or on driver’s side door.  This is particularly important at three points along the parade route:

1) At the staging area where the Parade begins.

2) Near Chartley Drive and Walgrove Road where there will be “Spotters” looking for your displayed assigned unit number.  (This ensures that your unit’s announcement is read in the correct order at the Reviewing / Judges stand.  If you fail to show your unit number at this point you “MAY” be disqualified from any trophies or awards.) and

3) At the Reviewing/Judges stand.  The Reviewing/Judges stand will be on your left near the traffic light at Hannah More Park.

All participants should go fully to the end of the route to the light at Reisterstown Shopping Center/Franklin High School so as not to disrupt the flow of other parade units.  (The Parade does not end at McDonald’s!)  Anyone who stops or disbands before the end MAY be disqualified from awards.

Please listen/watch out for Parade personnel at the end of the parade and help keep the route clear for other participants to finish.

Please do NOT stop in front of the reviewing stand (judges) for any performance, stunt, etc unless there is a stoppage in front of you/your group which blocks the route.  All Parade performances should be done while moving forward along the parade route.  Stopping unnecessarily to perform may disqualify you from parade awards.

Local officials and candidates for office are welcome to participate in the Festival Parade if they agree to follow our procedures to ensure that no preference or bias is given to any candidate or party vs another. To do this we assign positions in the parade based on the order of candidates on a voting ballot: highest position to most local office.  No requests for preferential positions will be granted to any candidates.  Officials/Candidates or their designees should contact the Parade Coordinator at parade@reisterstownfest.com for more specific information.