The Brandon Parade of Lights wrapped up its second year with a celebration and awards ceremony held on December 18 at The Regent in Riverview, recognizing parade participants, volunteers and community partners following another successful holiday event.
The annual parade drew an estimated 10,000 spectators along its route and featured 2,861 participants representing 115 floats, underscoring the rapid growth of the event in just its second year.
Melissa Canfield, parade chairperson, used the ceremony to put those numbers into perspective.
“2,861. What is that? That is the amount of participants that we had this year in the parade,” Canfield said. “What does that consist of? 112 floats.”
“Those entries included the parade’s grand marshal, 10 Tampa Bay News anchor Caitlin Lockerbie, along with five local high school marching bands, five local Gasparilla krewes, 38 local businesses and 24 local nonprofit organizations. Participation also extended to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsborough County Fire Department, county commissioners, school board members — including the superintendent — as well as local officials, beauty queens, dance studios and youth teams. The parade also featured holiday favorites, including, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus,” she said.
Reflecting on the scope of the event, Canfield added, “It’s absolutely amazing how many people were involved in this.”
Led by grand marshal Lockerbie, the parade traveled from South Lakewood Drive along Oakfield Drive, crossing Kings Avenue and ending at Vonderburg Drive. High school marching bands from Armwood, Bloomingdale, Brandon, Newsome and Riverview helped set the tone, while thousands of spectators lined the route to watch floats from businesses, nonprofits, performance groups and community organizations.
Awards were a major focus of the evening, recognizing creativity and community spirit among parade participants.
“So, the first category we will present is the most festive floats,” said award presenter Dawn Myers. “We considered how unique of a theme this group had, and how wonderfully and beautifully lighting their float was.”
Amani Med Spa received the Most Festive award.
The Most Original award was presented to Krewe of Girls and Pearls. In presenting the honor, Myers praised the group’s creativity and execution.
“We felt like we had never really even thought about this theme being a Christmas parade, or a Parade of Lights parade. The outfits that their people wore were on point and on theme. And they had almost what looked like a live volcano on their float. So, the most original goes to the Krewe of the Girls ’n Pearls,” Myers said.
The Crowd Choice award was presented to the Krewe of the Rising Phoenix.
In announcing the winner, Myers said, “The judges were all very, very impressed with not only the costumes but also the music.”
Dance Quest earned the Judges’ Choice award.
“This group had a fantastic float. It was beautifully decorated. They had amazing costumes. And they had a fantastic performance,” Myers said. “Because they checked all the boxes, we had to give this to the Judges’ Choice for Dance Quest.”
Additional award winners included DeSoto Masonic Lodge for Most Community Spirit, Newsome High School for Best Band and TC Drums for Best Performance.
Charitable giving was also a central focus of the evening. Organizers presented $5,000 checks to Hope for Her and PCAT (Parents and Children Advancing Together Literacy Ministries), recognizing both organizations as beneficiaries of this year’s parade proceeds.
The charities were selected in partnership with the Valrico FishHawk Chamber of Commerce and the newly merged Brandon Riverview Chamber of Commerce, continuing the Brandon Parade of Lights’ commitment to supporting local nonprofits alongside celebrating the holiday season.
Canfield thanked the many volunteers, sponsors and participants who made both the event and its charitable impact possible. She noted that an estimated 50 volunteers helped support parade operations, adding, “Thank you for allowing me to be a small part of this parade.”
The celebration also marked a transition in leadership, as Canfield formally passed the Brandon Parade of Lights chairperson duties to Erica Jourdain of Flower Me Tampa, who was announced as the 2026 parade chairperson. Organizers thanked Canfield for her leadership during the parade’s second year and welcomed Jourdain as planning begins for the next chapter of the event. Organizers confirmed that the next Brandon Parade of Lights will be held on December 12, 2026.
Now entering its third year, the Brandon Parade of Lights continues to establish itself as a signature holiday tradition — celebrating creativity, community spirit and meaningful local impact while bringing families, businesses and neighbors together during the holiday season.
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