HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - The 87th annual Hollywood Christmas Parade will make its way through Tinseltown tonight, with “Entertainment Tonight” co-host Nancy O'Dell serving as grand marshal.
The parade will travel on a 3.2-mile route beginning at Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Drive, moving east on Hollywood, south on Vine Street and west on Sunset Boulevard back to Orange.
Motorists were advised to avoid the area Saturday night and today, as some streets will be blocked and parking will be scarce.
The event will begin with a pre-parade concert at 5 p.m., featuring performers including Donny and Marie Osmond, Ruben Studdard, The Beach Boys and Ludacris.
The parade itself will step off at 6 p.m., with Erik Estrada, Laura McKenzie, Dean Cain and Montel Williams serving as hosts of the event.
Among the celebrities expected to appear in the procession are Jerry Mathers, Lou Ferrigno, Burt Ward, Stefanie Powers, Miss California USA Kelley Johnson and cast members of the soap operas “General Hospital,” “The Bold & The Beautiful,” “The Young and the Restless” and “Days of Our Lives.”
The parade will also feature famed vehicles from Hollywood, including the Batmobile, a “Magnum P.I.” Ferrari, “Back to the Future” DeLoreans, Kitt from “Knight Rider,” Herbie the Love Bug, the Bluesmobile from “The Blues Brothers” and the “Scooby Doo” Mystery Machine.
Of course, the parade will conclude with an appearance by Santa Claus.
The Hollywood Christmas Parade was first held in 1928, when it was called the “Santa Claus Lane Parade.” Comedian Joe E. Brown was the first grand marshal in 1932, a role later filled by luminaries such as Bob Hope, Gene Autry and Jimmy Stewart, among others.
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