Dominion Energy Richmond Christmas Parade to extend route to Children’s Hospital

This year’s Dominion Energy Richmond Christmas Parade will stretch farther than ever before, adding a new section that travels past the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR). The route extension, called ColonialWebb Cares: The Road to CHoR, will bring the parade directly to patients, families, and hospital staff on December 6th.

Presented by ColonialWebb, the expanded route aims to include children unable to attend in person along Broad Street. “Spreading holiday cheer to our kids and families in the hospital is truly special,” said CHoR president Elias Neujahr. “Bringing this Richmond tradition to them sends a message that this tremendous community is behind them.”

The parade will begin at 10:15 a.m. in front of the Science Museum of Virginia and continue east on Broad Street through downtown Richmond, concluding at 10th Street. This year’s theme, Spreading Christmas Joy, will feature large helium balloons, marching bands, dance groups, floats, and the return of Legendary Santa.

In a new interactive twist, CHoR patients will vote on which PBS KIDS character—seen locally on VPM—will serve as the parade’s official Grand Marshal. Voting runs from October 31st through November 6th via CHoR’s social media channels and hospital room broadcasts.

“We couldn’t imagine a better way to embody this year’s theme than to bring the parade directly to CHoR,” said Parade Director Tara Daudani. Wendy Pike, Director of Marketing for ColonialWebb, added that the effort aligns with the company’s community-focused mission: “Supporting the route extension just made sense for us… It feels like an extension of what we do every day.”

The Dominion Energy Richmond Christmas Parade is free and open to the public. It will air live on WTVR CBS 6 from 10 a.m. to noon on December 6th, with a rebroadcast on Christmas Day.

For registration, updates, and route information, visit the Richmond Parade website.