The 71st Annual Escondido Christmas Parade brings festive floats and cheerful characters to town. According to the Escondido Police Department, folks better plan out their routes as the jingle-belled juggernaut jamboree is scheduled for Saturday, December 9, from 10:00 a.m. to about noon.

Residents and visitors should be prepared to quickly find and avoid certain thoroughfares as the parade will make its jolly way from Escondido Blvd and Grape Day Park, taking a southward sleigh ride to Grand Ave, and from there, the holiday caravan will jingle east before heading north again on Juniper — a merry-go-round route leading west to Broadway and finally ending at Woodward Ave.

With the parade route locked in, the boys in blue suggest that Santa's not the only one who needs a list; travelers should double-check theirs because a host of street closures will transform downtown Escondido into a no-go for vehicular through traffic from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Escondido Police have been elves of information, mapping out alternative routes faster than Rudolph on a clear night. Second Ave. and Washington Ave. are the top picks for east-west movement, while Centre City Pkwy., Grape St., or Hickory St. should keep those traveling north or south merrily on the move.

Don't expect to snag a parking spot near the parade, as Lt. Craig Miller of the Traffic Division advises the Woodward Parking Lot and adjacent city hall spaces are saved solely for parade personnel. Those naughty parking outside the designated zones will likely receive a Christmas prezzie of the ticketed variety.

For the ins and outs of dodging the roadblocks, dial Bob O’Donnell, our parade traffic point man, at (760) 839-4707 or reach out to his electronic mailbox at [email protected]. And if your festive fervor demands more deets on the marching madness, be sure to holler at [email protected], as suggested by the hardworking team at the Escondido Jaycees.