Christmas came early for the teams behind the annual Reston Holiday Parade and Alexandria’s Scottish Christmas Walk Parade, as each were singled out as two of the 10 best holiday parades in the country. The poll, determined by the readers of USA Today, saw the Reston Holiday Parade finish fifth, while the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade came in right behind it at sixth.
The list is a mix of smaller, local parades like the Sparks Hometowne Christmas parade in Sparks, Nevada (second), and nationally recognized events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which both Reston and Alexandria finished ahead of (Macy’s finished in ninth).
This is the third year in a row that the Reston Holiday Parade has been voted into the top 10.
“We know we have very loyal voters here in Reston because this parade has been growing since the first one in 1991,” says Carol Nahorniak, the creative director of Myers Public Relation, who helps organize the parade.
The Campagna Center, which organizes the Scottish Christmas Walk Parade, did not immediately respond for comment.
Here is the complete list of parades voted into the USA Today’s top 10 Best Holiday Parades:
- America’s Thanksgiving Parade—Detroit
- Sparks Hometowne Christmas—Sparks, Nevada
- Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade—Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- Ford Holiday River Parade—San Antonio
- Reston Holiday Parade—Reston
- Scottish Christmas Walk Parade—Alexandria
- Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade—Newport Beach, California
- Mayor’s Annual Christmas Parade—Baltimore
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade—New York
- San Diego Bay Parade of Lights—San Diego
For more information on each parade, check out the USA Today’s full list.