EVERYTHING you need to know about the PARADE
HERE WE GO WITCHES!
This 2023 parade will be the third year that all the Chapters of the RI Witches Guild will be gathering to dance the Witch's Dance together through Wickford.
A few things will be the same, and a few will be different.
Most importantly, this year the Wickford Witch's Parade will NOT be part of the children's Horribles Parade. We will be hosting our very own witch parade,
with the Horribles family parade to be held on Saturday, October 28th.
Our parade is being held on Saturday, October 21st at NOON and is the kickoff event for the Wickford Wicked Week festivities in the village. It is open to anyone who dresses as a witch (how you interpret that is up to you) but you MUST have a full costume that includes
a hat and broom or walking stick. You must also know the Witches Dance.
Please be sure to thank the North Kingstown Arts Council for signing on as our major donor this year (as in previous years). Their sponsorship allows us to pay for the NK Police Department's officers to keep everyone safe during the parade.
|
|
On the day of the parade (Oct 21st):
On Saturday, October 21st, the Witch's Dance Parade steps off at 12:00PM, sharp.
All dancing witchs MUST be at the starting point (town dock at the end of Main Street,
next to Gardner's Seafood at 170 Main St).
All dancing witchs MUST be at the starting point (town dock at the end of Main Street,
next to Gardner's Seafood at 170 Main St).
- EVERY DANCING WITCH MUST:
- be in FULL costume (costume, hat and broom/walking stick) and know the Witches Dance.
- be at the Registration table at the town dock by 11:30PM in order to participate in the parade. NO EXCEPTIONS.
- are encouraged to make a $10.00 donation at the Registration Table, to offset the costs to keep this parade event going (did you know it costs us more than $7500 to host this parade?)
- be lined up, ready to dance, at 11:45PM. Plan accordingly! The shuttle bus will be looping into the village between 10AM-3PM so park in one of the lots EARLY so that you can get to the starting point in time to register and get in line! Don't miss the shuttle buses!
|
|
Where the heck do I park?
|
Anyone who's visited Wickford Village knows that parking can be a bit of a challenge when there's an event. In order to accommodate the crowds that will be dancing and those watching, we will have offsite parking and a shuttle that will loop to and from the parking lot behind Shayna's. That being said, please consider carpooling! There will be VERY LIMITED STREET PARKING in the village. The parking lots behind Shayna's and the town dock parking lot will be CLOSED to the public. Parking in those lots will ONLY be for Handicap permit holders, band members, performers and official parade vehicles. NO EXCEPTIONS!
|
And don't f
Everyone is encouraged to park at one of our designated Shuttle parking lots:
The Blue Bus shuttles will be looping between those sites from 10AM-1145PM bringing people into the village and dropping them off at Newtown Avenue (near Wickford Liquors on W Main St). Anyone who wishes to dance in the parade will then be able to walk to the end of Main Street (about 1/4 mile) to register to join the dancing witches. Remember - you MUST register at the parade starting point at the end of Main Street by 1145PM to be in the parade - no exceptions!
PLEASE REALIZE that we can NOT anticipate how many people will be coming into the village to dance and/or watch the parade and our shuttles only hold 45 people at a time. PLAN ACCORDINGLY!
You may also try to park right outside of the village and walk in. Wickford Middle School parking lot and Wilson Park are within walking distance of the village and a nice leisurely stroll if you start out early enough.
The shuttles will NOT be running during the parade (1145PM-115PM).
The shuttles will begin picking people up at the parking lot of the town beach at the end of the parade, running loops to all parking lots from 130PM-4PM.
WE SUGGEST:
Plan to arrive EARLY so that you can grab a bite to eat or pick up something to drink (there will be multiple food trucks parked down at the end of the parade - the NK town beach -for you to grab a bite to eat before heading home). We'll also be performing the Witch's Dance one time as an entire group at the end of the parade so don't miss the fun!
The parade route will begin at the town dock on Main St at 12:00PM SHARP. It will travel down the length of Main Street, turn onto Brown Street, parade through downtown Wickford and then continue over the Hussey Bridge, take a left onto Beach Street and end at the town beach. At the end point, everyone will gather to learn the winners of costume competitions (Maiden, up to age 18; Mother, ages 19-50; and Crone, age 51+).
DON'T FORGET - When marching in the parade, be sure to take a second and stop at the old library on Brown Street and show the judges your competition number (given to you at the registration table at beginning of the parade route) so that they can get a good look at your costume!
Don't forget to stop in at JW Graham/YES! Gallery on Brown Street to pick up your official Witches of Wickford tee shirt - they're the only ones who carry them this year and when they're gone, they're gone! (and part of the proceeds help us pay for the Guild to dance in the parade).
Everyone is encouraged to park at one of our designated Shuttle parking lots:
- North Kingstown Town Beach (10 Beach Street)
- Town Hall parking lot (100 Fairway Drive)
- Wickford Middle School (250 Tower Hill Road)
- Hamilton Elementary (25 Salisbury Ave)
The Blue Bus shuttles will be looping between those sites from 10AM-1145PM bringing people into the village and dropping them off at Newtown Avenue (near Wickford Liquors on W Main St). Anyone who wishes to dance in the parade will then be able to walk to the end of Main Street (about 1/4 mile) to register to join the dancing witches. Remember - you MUST register at the parade starting point at the end of Main Street by 1145PM to be in the parade - no exceptions!
PLEASE REALIZE that we can NOT anticipate how many people will be coming into the village to dance and/or watch the parade and our shuttles only hold 45 people at a time. PLAN ACCORDINGLY!
You may also try to park right outside of the village and walk in. Wickford Middle School parking lot and Wilson Park are within walking distance of the village and a nice leisurely stroll if you start out early enough.
The shuttles will NOT be running during the parade (1145PM-115PM).
The shuttles will begin picking people up at the parking lot of the town beach at the end of the parade, running loops to all parking lots from 130PM-4PM.
WE SUGGEST:
Plan to arrive EARLY so that you can grab a bite to eat or pick up something to drink (there will be multiple food trucks parked down at the end of the parade - the NK town beach -for you to grab a bite to eat before heading home). We'll also be performing the Witch's Dance one time as an entire group at the end of the parade so don't miss the fun!
The parade route will begin at the town dock on Main St at 12:00PM SHARP. It will travel down the length of Main Street, turn onto Brown Street, parade through downtown Wickford and then continue over the Hussey Bridge, take a left onto Beach Street and end at the town beach. At the end point, everyone will gather to learn the winners of costume competitions (Maiden, up to age 18; Mother, ages 19-50; and Crone, age 51+).
DON'T FORGET - When marching in the parade, be sure to take a second and stop at the old library on Brown Street and show the judges your competition number (given to you at the registration table at beginning of the parade route) so that they can get a good look at your costume!
Don't forget to stop in at JW Graham/YES! Gallery on Brown Street to pick up your official Witches of Wickford tee shirt - they're the only ones who carry them this year and when they're gone, they're gone! (and part of the proceeds help us pay for the Guild to dance in the parade).
Parade Costume Competition
|
Who doesn't love a little competition? This year's parade will be led by our 2022 Best Witches costume competition winners. For our 2023 parade we'll have THREE categories: MAIDEN (up to age 18) MOTHER (ages 19-50) CRONE (ages 51 and up) Each of the winners in the 2023 parade will be invited to lead next year's event. |
