Growing city means new Vernon Winter Carnival parade route debuting in 2025

As Vernon continues to grow and change, its signature event will do the same.

The Vernon Winter Carnival returns in February the 2025 edition will feature a new mile-long route for the 64th annual parade.

“The city of Vernon has changed significantly since the first parade route was decided upon and it has also grown significantly since the parade route that many have come to know and love was created,” says a release from the Vernon Winter Carnival Society (VWCS).

It’s an incredibly simple new route, as it will be a straight shot south on 27th Street from 45th Avenue to 32nd Avenue.

“Our staging area will be on 27th from 48th to 45th, and our dismantling and off-loading area will be from 32nd to 30th,” organizers explain. “We encourage parade goers to park at the mall as there is plenty of parking there for participants and spectators.”

The parade route was also changed because of the new Civic Park, which was completed earlier this year at the site of the old Civic Memorial Arena.

It used to be the end of the parade route, but there is no longer an ability to safely unload in the arena’s parking lot or proper access for emergency responders.

The new route was not created overnight, as it’s the result of many meetings between VWCS and City of Vernon officials.

Many minds worked through multiple meetings to come up with the best possible new route for the growing city, and they believe they have done just that.

The Vernon Winter Carnival will run from Feb. 7-16 in 2025 and the parade takes place on Saturday, Feb. 7. This year's theme is "Back to the 80s!"