Christmas parade kicks off this evening in Brunswick

Dec. 3—Guests at this year's Christmas parade in Brunswick can expect much of the same, but that's not a bad thing.

"We've learned don't try to change stuff too much," said city Downtown Development Authority Director Mathew Hill, one of the organizers. "People get antsy about it.

The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Howard Coffin Park and will travel down Gloucester Street to Bay Street, ending in front of Mary Ross Waterfront Park, said City Manager Regina McDuffie.

"We've got 78 (groups), which is similar to last year," Hill said. "We should have a lot of floats."

He suggested arriving early to pick out a good viewing spot.

"A couple of people I know like to be down there at (the intersection of) Norwich and Gloucester," Hill said. "I personally years ago, before I had to run the parade, I always liked to be in front of the bank at 777 Gloucester St., so you can be up on the stairs and see."

The parking lot of Maggie May's, across the street from City Hall, is also a good spot to watch the parade, he said.

This year's judges are once again from out of town to ensure objectivity in the evaluation process.

For those who can't make it in person, the parade will be streamed live at facebook.com/HistoricDowntownBrunswick.

"But we don't want people not to come because of that," Hill added.

Anyone who misses the big Christmas light debut on Friday can stop by Jekyll or Machen squares to see the show. McDuffie said the city put extra resources into the lights this year to make them a real attraction.

"The lights downtown will be doing their thing at 7 and 9 (p.m.) so people can hang around after the parade," Hill said.