Rules and Regulations of The Texas Veterans Day Parade in Arlington
1. AUTHORITY OF THE COMMITTEE
a. The Committee reserves the right to refuse any entry into the parade which does not depict the parade theme and patriotic purpose or does not adhere to the policies of the Committee as stated.
b. Parade entrants agree to abide by all rules and decisions of the Committee. Any misrepresentation or failure to abide by Committee rules are grounds for removal from parade. Decisions of the Committee are final and not subject to review by any other body.
c. No entry will be allowed to enter the parade which did not meet the application deadline or fails to provide proof of approval by the Committee at the line-up area on Parade Day.
d. Although an entrant chooses the category he wishes to enter, the Committee makes the final decision as to the correct category for each entrant based on the nature of the organization and type of entry.
e. Use of tobacco products, e-cigarettes, or alcohol in the parade is prohibited.
2. POLICY
a. All Entries
i. Floats may not exceed 50 feet in length including the tow vehicle.
ii. In compliance with city code, no entry may exceed 14 feet from street level and must be wired or otherwise secured. It must be able to go under utility wires along the parade route.
iii. No entry may include more than 10 vehicles (example: car or jeep clubs).
b. Decorations
i. All Parade entries, tow vehicles, and support vehicles must be 75% decorated to either depict the Parade theme, or, at a minimum, be decorated in red, white, and blue, in keeping with the patriotic spirit of the parade, with the exception of military vehicles.
ii. Any entry entering the staging area not decorated by 3:00 pm will be asked to obtain such items as necessary to reflect the patriotic spirit of the parade or will be subject to removal from the parade.
iii. All parade entries shall conform to community standards, including all parade participants.
iv. All floats shall have a skirt to cover the wheels within the bounds of
safety.
c. Support Vehicles
i. Motorized entries (floats, cars, etc.) will not be permitted to have a support vehicle.
ii. Marching units and walking entries are permitted to have ONE support vehicle which must be decorated.
iii. You must describe your vehicle on the application to be eligible to have a support vehicle in the parade.
iv. Support vehicles must be at least 75% decorated.
d. Banners
i. One banner preceding your entry is allowed. No size limit.
ii. Banner carriers must be capable of maintaining the parade pace. If the pace of the banner carriers is impeding the parade progress the banner will be removed.
e. Commercial
i. Entries may be sponsored by an individual business or businesses in a mutual association.
ii. A logo or business name may be used on an entry however, the entry may not be used primarily for advertising purposes and must be in keeping with the patriotic spirit of the parade. Signs must be limited to two per entry.
f. Expense
i. No limit. The use of ingenuity and creativity in the design and execution of an entry is encouraged and favored by the judging criteria.
g. Hand-outs or Giveaways
i. NO HANDOUTS OR GIVEWAYS OF ANY KIND ARE PERMITTED DURING THE PARADE.
ii. Only $5000 sponsors or above will be permitted to distribute handouts and giveaways before the parade begins.
iii. For safety reasons, any activity that entices spectators to enter the parade route during the parade is prohibited.
h. Performance
i. Do not stop to perform at any reviewing stand. Only moving marching routines will be permitted at the TV and reviewing stands.
i. Political and Social
i. The Association is a non-political organization. Only current office holders are allowed to enter the parade. Small signs on either side of a car are permitted. No place cards or large advertising will be acceptable.
ii. No campaigning. Individuals or organizations who try to use the parade to further their own or others’ political or social campaigns will be removed from the parade. Under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, tax-exempt organizations are prohibited from participating or intervening in political activities.
j. Safety Rules
i. No child under eight years of age will be allowed to walk in the parade. They may ride on floats, vehicles, or bicycles under adult supervision.
ii. Materials used in each entry should be fire-retardant and not of a dangerous nature. An on-board fire extinguisher is required for all floats and recommended for all entries.
iii. All parade participants (individual or organization) shall be required to adhere to the provisions of the Texas State Penal Code part 46.04, titled Places Weapons Prohibited and any changes thereto.
iv. Bike riders must adhere to state and local laws regarding helmets.
v. Hand holds must be provided for float riders.
vi. Auto Liability policies in the minimum amounts as required by the State of Texas must be in place for all operators of all vehicles used in the parade. Participants may be required to show proof of coverage.
3. APPLICATIONS
a. In lieu of an entry fee, all participants shall bring an UNWRAPPED toy donation for Toys for Tots. Collection sites will be available at the parade.
b. All applications must be submitted by the posted deadline.
c. All information for announcers’ script must be completed and returned no later than the posted deadline. Information provided for parade announcers is subject to editing to meet time constraints of the parade.
d. A separate application must be submitted for each entry in parade. Example: A school that enters their cheerleaders, color guard, and bands must submit a separate application for each.
i. If an organization has more than one entry, please list on one of your applications, the order in which you wish them to appear. Example: Schools with cheerleaders, drum majors, band, drill team and alumni groups.