In Long Beach, a coastal town in Nassau County about an hour away from Manhattan, the Christmas period has been twelve years old with a central appointment in local life: the Electric Light Parade. The event takes place in the West End, along West Beech Street, and attracts residents and visitors from all over the metropolitan area thanks to a winning mix of traditional parade and creative competition. The event has grown over time to become one of the main winter events of the South Shore of Long Island, with thousands of attendance concentrated in one evening.
The 2025 edition is scheduled today, Saturday 13 December, starting at 18 from Ohio Avenue. The route crosses the West End transforming the streets close to the ocean into a corridor illuminated by decorated vehicles. Fire trucks, vintage cars, bicycles and handcrafted tanks covered with LED lights, inflatable balloons and thematic installations. The scenery refers not only to Christmas, but also to Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year and the winter solstice. Among the most anticipated participants is the West Chester Electric Light Parade Crew, a local collective known for complex installations inspired by popular brands and icons such as Coca-Cola polar bears or Hess toy trucks. At the end of the parade are awarded prizes such as Best Overall, Biggest and Brightest, Most Original and FruitCake Award, dedicated to the most ironic creations, with final ceremony in the Sands parking lot area.
Watch the move. West Beech Street is closed to traffic already from 14 and parking spaces in the area quickly become unavailable. This is why the town organises a free shuttle service every 15 minutes from 16:30, connecting the LIRR station of Long Beach with Ohio Avenue and Long Beach Catholic School. Those arriving from New York can use the Long Island Rail Road, parking in the garage of the station or in the parking spaces indicated along the shuttle route.
The parade is also an economic engine for the West End, which concentrates in a few hours much of the commercial activity of the period. Bars and restaurants along the route remain open before, during and after the parade, turning the area into a pedestrian area until late evening.
Article The Christmas parade of Long Beach has become one of the most followed events of South Shore proviene da IlNewyorkese.
