Macy's Holiday Parade + Tree Lighting Ceremony - 2009

If you're planning on shopping downtown on the Friday after Thanksgiving, don't miss the Macy's Holiday Parade in Portland. It starts at 8:45 a.m., so if you're one of the people that likes to hit the pre-dawn sales, you'll be ready for a break by then anyway.

The route:
New Parade Route: The parade will begin at NW Park and Davis, then travel east to Broadway, south on Broadway to SW Alder, east on Alder (past Macy’s) to 4th, north on 4th to NW Flanders, west on Flanders to Park.

What you'll see:
Horses, live bands and of course ... floats of your favorite holiday characters!

Tree Lighting Ceremony:
Pioneer Courthouse Square is the place to be, starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The 75-foot tree will light up the square as rock violinist Aaron Meyer and the Brown Sisters entertain guests.