NIC Juneteenth 2025 Parade

Join Neighbors Impacting Communities for NIC Juneteenth Parade 2025 featuring local marching bands and community groups on Saturday, June 14, 2025.

Parade Route: At 7 a.m. participants will gather on the old Fields Grocery store lot, on Lafayette Street near Truman Ave. to get lined up. The route will be east on Lafayette, passing Soulard Park (location of the NIC Festival) and crossing over Broadway to disperse.

While this year's parade is still in the planning stage (route is subject to change), we wanted to open up the registration as early as possible. All parade partcipants registered on this form by 8 a.m., Monday, June 9, will receive an email from NIC with specific instructions. Registration cost (excluding Eventbrite fees) are fully refundable up to 30-days prior to the event.

We are hoping to have a parade contest or Battle of the Bands immediately following the parade, with winners announced as part of the Festival. Stay tuned for details to come.

---

On a side note - the NIC parade route will culminate just past the NIC's Juneteenth Festival at Soulard Market Park in St. Louis, Mo. The Festival is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A special NIC-supporter door-prize is available to pre-registered festival attendees who bring their Eventbrite pre-reservation ticket to the NIC Information Table under the Big Tent, while limited supplies last. Register as festival attendee or booth participate at https://NICJuneteenth2025.eventbrite.com.

---

For specific questions, please contact Joyce Hughes, event coordinator and president of NIC at bmVpZ2hib3JzaW1wYWN0aW5nY29tbXVuaXRpZXMgfCBnbWFpbCAhIGNvbQ==.

For more information about NIC, visit www.NICStLMO.org.

---

1. Check-In & Line-Up

• All participants must check in at the designated staging area at least 1 hour before the parade starts.
• Parade line-up order will be assigned in advance; please follow the instructions of parade marshals.

2. Safety First

• No throwing items (e.g., candy, flyers) from floats or vehicles. Items may be handed out by walkers only.
• Keep a safe distance between floats and walking groups to avoid accidents.
• All vehicles must be in good working condition and driven by licensed, insured drivers.

3. Parade Conduct

• All participants must act respectfully and responsibly—this is a family-friendly event.
• No inappropriate language, gestures, signage or attire (or lack thereof) will be tolerated.
• ALL music should be family-appropriate and kept at a reasonable volume (understanding that live, marching band music will be loud).

4. Float & Vehicle Guidelines

• Floats and decorations should be decorated in line with the parade's Juneteenth theme (if possible).
• No open flames, fireworks or hazardous materials.
• All animals in the parade must be on leashes or in appropriate carriers, and handlers must clean up after them.

5. Walking Participants

• Stay with your group and maintain forward motion—no stopping to perform unless approved in advance.
• Walkers must wear proper footwear and hydrate, especially in hot weather.

6. Clean-Up

• Please help keep our community clean! Dispose of any trash or leftover materials properly.
• Groups must remove all decorations and materials from the staging and disbanding areas.

7. Weather & Emergency

• The parade will go on rain or shine unless conditions are deemed unsafe. Cancellations will be communicated via email or social media.
• In case of emergency, follow the directions of parade staff and first responders.

8. Enforcement

• Parade officials reserve the right to remove any participant or group who violates these rules - with no refund.

Note: Participation in the parade as a participant or bystander is at your own risk. NIC and its affiliates assume no responsiblity for any hapenstance before, during or along the parade route.

Also check out other Festivals in St. Louis.