The 2007 Comcast Oakland Holiday Parade – "America's Children's Parade" – will be broadcast internationally, making this parade the only non-sporting event to be televised internationally from Northern California.

Beginning in July, parade organizers offered the parade television broadcast to nearly 100 PBS television affiliates in the U.S. and U.S. territories. To date, several stations have accepted the broadcast, including stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Memphis, Tenn., and most recently, Guam. Even more stations are expected to sign on to show the parade as they finalize their holiday programming schedule.

Raggs, five adorable singing dogs who will soon be featured on public television stations throughout the country, have been named the grand marshals of the Comcast Oakland Holiday Parade, which marches through the streets of downtown Oakland beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1.

This eighth annual holiday event, America's Children's Parade, features nearly 20 marching bands (most of which march 80-140 members or more) – the largest number of bands in the parade's history. Other highlights include nearly 40 children's favorite cartoon and storybook characters, giant balloons, colorful floats, and Santa Claus himself.

The parade, which drew a record 70,000 spectators to downtown Oakland last year, begins at 11th and Broadway, winding through downtown Oakland following Broadway, 20th Street and Harrison Street before finishing near Lake Merritt.

Parade highlights will include:

• Children's characters such as the Berenstain Bears, Peter Rabbit, Strawberry Shortcake, Curious George, Veggie Tales and Six Flags stars Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the Tazmanian Devil.
• Seventeen 20'-50' inflatable balloons hovering along the one-mile parade route, including Frosty the Snowman, Arthur, Rudolph, Babar, Underdog and Telebubbies.
• A 25-member clown brigade consisting of local business executives.
• More than 10 beautiful floats

The Comcast America's Children's Parade is also a holiday championship for the marching band circuit, sanctioned by the Northern California Band Association. Among the bands scheduled to participate are the Fairfield Scarlet Brigade with 150 members, Napa High School, Cesar Chavez High School in Stockton, the Pittsburg High School Marching Pirates Show Band, and the Concord High School Minutemen Band.

The parade truly is a national event, with parade items and entries coming in from Kansas, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina.

History of the Oakland Holiday Parade

It all began with the idea to bring a parade back to downtown Oakland to celebrate the rebirth of the city and its renewed viability. The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Children's Hospital and Research Center at Oakland joined together with a multitude of Parade Pioneers and over 25 local businesses with the hope of bringing joy to children of the region.

The first Oakland Tribune Holiday Parade was held in 2000 with huge success and over 30,000 spectators along the parade route. The parade is professionally directed by Ray Pulver of Upbeat Productions since its early beginnings in 1999. The success of the parade continues to grow and more excitement and entertainment is COMING SOON!!!

CLICK HERE to see parade photo gallery.