Culpeper Parade Invitation
May 28, 2026
Dear Friends,
The Culpeper County Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Parade will be held Thursday, May 28, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. this year. The parade line-up will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the parade will start promptly at 6:30 p.m. All participants must register using the online form in the link below.
This year’s line-up process will be “first come, first served”. As your group arrives, the Parade Staff will check you in and verify your entry information. You must arrive at check-in with all the vehicles and/or floats in your group. There will be NO “saving space” for late arriving vehicles/floats. People in your group can still park off the line-up route and walk to your group once your group is in line-up. The line-up route is the same as last year, enter the Culpeper Town Square Shopping Center and proceed to the far-right side of the parking lot to the rear parking area. This is where we will check you in. Once you are checked in by the Parade Staff, you will proceed along the line-up route until you reach the group that arrived before you. If you need time to gather your group, do this in the front parking lot and proceed to the rear parking lot ONLY AFTER your group is complete.
This enhanced check-in process enables us to include late arriving participants. The parade starts at 6:30pm, we will continue to check in groups until 7:00 pm. Prior to the parade date, we will send you a map showing the route to enter the check-in area and the route you will follow AFTER check-in.
The Culpeper County Volunteer Fire Department has announced it has decided to discontinue our Annual Carnival due to numerous pressures and demands on our volunteers. If you are able, we ask that you consider donating to our continuing efforts in protecting our community with our all-volunteer department. Donations can be made on our website by clicking here, in person or by mail to 151-153 West Davis Street, Culpeper, VA 22701. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to seeing you this year!
To register for the parade, you must complete the online registration form on our website by clicking the registration form button below:
Registrations will be accepted up to May 25, 2026. All entries will be judged exclusively during the procession of the parade. Winners will be announced at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, May 29, 2026, via social media and email.
Trophies will be available for pickup at the Culpeper Volunteer Fire Department, starting at 4pm on Friday, May 29, 2026. If you are unable to stop by, please contact us to schedule a pickup date.
Please complete the online form with your organization name, address, point of contact, vehicle etc. Additional information will be sent prior to the parade to the email address you enter in the registration form. If you have questions or need additional information, please email parade@culpeperfire.com.
Sincerely,
Culpeper County Volunteer Parade Committee
Parade Rules
1. FOR SAFETY & INSURANCE LIABILITY REASONS, NO OBJECTS ARE TO BE THROWN FROM YOUR ENTRY. YOU MAY WALK BESIDE YOUR ENTRY & HAND OUT CANDY OR LITERATURE. ANYONE THROWING ITEMS WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE PARADE AND POSSIBLY REMOVED FROM THE DEPARTMENT’S INVITATION LIST.
2. Public displays of alcohol or reckless behavior will not be tolerated, and you will be removed from the parade.
3. ONLY DMV registered, motorized vehicles will be allowed in the parade with the exception of farm tractors pulling wagons. OTHER EXCEPTIONS CAN BE MADE BY THE PARADE COMMITTEE.
4. NO STOPPING IN FRONT OF THE JUDGES’ STAND (exception – marching bands).
5. NO HORSES ALLOWED (exception – those pulling a cart or wagon). Owner is responsible for cleaning up after the animals.
6. This is a SILENT PARADE – no fire or rescue units will be allowed to operate sirens of any type.
THE ABOVE RULES WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED. Thank you and have a great time.