Where To Park And Watch The Christmas City Of The North Parade; Updates For 2013 Road Closures

With the Christmas City of the North Parade happening on Friday night, a lot of people are wondering where is the best place to park and watch the events.

For starters, you should know that the parade route begins officially out front of the Northland's Newscenter building - near the corner of Railroad Street and Lake Avenue in Canal Park.  From there, the parade stretches across the overpass of I-35, and enters downtown Duluth at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Superior Street.  The event then goes south on Superior Street to 5th Avenue West.

First - where to park.  The easiest answer is to utilize any one of the numerous downtown parking ramps.  Free parking is available at the following ramps after 5PM:

• Fitger’s
• Fond Du Luth Casino
•  Fourth Avenue Auto Park
•  Lake Superior Plaza
•  Shoppers Auto Park
•  Tech Village
•  US Bank
•  Wells Fargo Bank

So once you park - the options to watch the parade are endless.  You could join the lights and action out front of the Northland's Newscenter building - but be advised that that area fills up fast.  Along the route, there are many blocks worth of options - if you want to stand outdoors.  That brings us to the final option - and one that might be best if the wind gets cold:  Many people watch the Christmas City of the North Parade from the downtown skywalk system.

Wherever you decide to watch, you're assured a front-row seat to the official kick-off event of the Christmas season in the Twin Ports!

One thing attendees might want to be aware of is the closure of southbound traffic on I-35.  Although it will be possible to get around the project by following posted detours, any "usual" routes and shortcuts might not exist for this year.