The Central Florida Dragon Parade (Facebook | Website) is moving out of the heart of Mills 50 to the Fashion Square Mall.
In 2013, over 5,000 attendees came to the parade to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. According to the planning committee, last year’s event brought out even more spectators.
The former parade route was less than half a mile long, along Hillcrest St., parallel to Colonial Dr. [Gmap]
Moving to the Fashion Square Mall provides the Dragon Parade with a longer route and more space to set up and less costs associated to closing streets.
This is the second parade that has moved to the Fashion Square Mall. The Christmas Parade moved out of Downtown Orlando to the Mall last year and officially became the Fashion Square Christmas Parade.
This year the Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival will take place on Sunday, February 22. The Chinese Lunar New Year is February 19. It is the Year of the Sheep (or Goat, or Ram, depending on whom you ask).
Atsumi Foreman orange dragon alert…cool
I have mixed feelings about the move. While I will miss walking to the parade with my family, I have had the opportunity to attend other community events at the mall and have been pleasantly surprised by how well it all seems to work.
Typically Florida move have a parade around a mall the inbreeding must stop
This is very disappointing, taking major events out of our local neighborhood districts (and away from the surrounding small businesses and culture) and moving them to one of the worst malls in the city. I sadly stopped attending the Christmas Parade this year and will likely do the same with this one.
Yesss
Ellie Crossman we need to continue our tradition:)