Florida Citrus Parade Announces Lou Holtz as 2017 Grand Marshal
Florida Citrus Sports, host of the Camping World Bowl and Citrus Bowl presented by Overton’s, will host the 37th annual Florida Citrus Parade this Saturday, December 30, with former Notre Dame head football coach Lou Holtz serving as the grand marshal for the event.
Known for its unique floats, constructed using more than 100,000 pieces of local citrus, the Florida Citrus Parade will both the Notre Dame and LSU marching bands and cheerleaders, along with seven high school bands from across the country. It is recognized as one of the nation’s largest sports-affiliated parades in the country, drawing tens of thousands of spectators to the streets of downtown Orlando each year.
This year’s parade will begin at 11 a.m. and curbside seating is free. The parade route begins at the corner of Orange Avenue and Robinson Street and continues south on Orange Avenue, east on Anderson Street, then north on Rosalind Avenue. The parade concludes at Rosalind Avenue and Robinson Street. The route is 1.4 miles in length and takes 90-120 minutes to complete.
Grandstand seating, available for $28 at FloridaCitrusParade.com, will be located near the corner of Rosalind Avenue and Washington Street in Downtown Orlando. This location will also be the site of the parade’s live stream broadcast, which will also be available at FloridaCitrusParade.com.
“The Florida Citrus Parade has been an Orlando tradition for more than 35 years, bringing families and football fans from all across Central Florida into the heart of downtown for one of the city’s most unique annual events,” Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan said. “It is an honor to have Coach Holtz joining us in such an important role on such a special day for our community.”
Holtz led six different universities to bowl appearances as a head coach — including William & Mary, which played in the 1970 Citrus Bowl — but he is best known for his 11 seasons at the helm of the Fighting Irish, a run that included five 10-win seasons and 100 total victories in 132 games, the most games coached and the second-most wins by any coach in Notre Dame history. The highlight of that tenure came in 1988, when he led the team to an undefeated national championship. Following his coaching career, Holtz had a successful decade-long run as a college football analyst at ESPN. He and his wife, Beth, are Orlando residents. They have been married since 1961 and have four children.
The Florida Citrus Parade is one of three signature events taking place during Florida Citrus Sports’ Bowl Week celebration. On Dec. 28, the Camping World Bowl featured an exciting clash between Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech, and on Jan. 1, Notre Dame and LSU will ring in the New Year at the Citrus Bowl presented by Overton’s. Tickets are still available for Monday’s Citrus Bowl game and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. For more info on Stadium Pass Bundle packages, which include a ticket to the NFL Pro Bowl on Jan. 28 at Camping World Stadium, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.