Bend Christmas Parade

For over 40 years, the annual Bend Community Christmas Parade has been a hallmark event of the holiday season. It is the largest Christmas Parade in Oregon and is eagerly anticipated by kids of all ages as one of the highlights of life in Bend.

The Bend Christmas Parade is organized and run by a volunteer group of dedicated citizens.

Until 1992, the Parade was planned and organized by Bend Parks and Recreation. After the 1991 event, Parks and Rec decided that they would no longer sponsor the parade. A number of Bend residents who recognized how important the Parade is in connecting and unifying our community assumed the responsibility for producing the Parade under the leadership of Mr. Ernie Gilpin.

Thus, the all-volunteer Bend Christmas Parade Committee has offered the Parade to the community for over three decades. With Mr. Gilpin’s passing, leadership of the Parade Committee passed to Michael Sipe, 10x Catalyst Groups and the non-profit Frontline Foundation in 2021.

The 2021 Parade was the largest in its history, with a full line up of floats, exhuberant marchers and thousands of Central Oregonians lining the streets of Bend having a grand holiday time! Since 2021, each year the parade had exceeded the previous and this year will be no different!

The Committee remains composed of all volunteers whose responsibilities include organizing the entries, preparing entries for line-up, publicity, treasurer, working with the animal entries, judging, composing scripts for announcers, public safety, and acting as parade marshals. Some volunteers have been with the Committee since its inception.

Host or Publisher Coalition of Church, Business, Government, Education and NonProfit Leaders