Christmas parade honours memory of Vernon Hassell
A cherished holiday tradition, the MarketPlace Christmas Parade, will set out this Sunday through the streets of Hamilton.
The parade, nearing its 40th year, will be dedicated to the memory of the late Vernon Hassell, the vice-president of MarketPlace, who died in September.
MarketPlace said: “Vernon served our company and the people of Bermuda for 25 years with loyalty and care.
“We honour his contribution and celebrate his memory with the community he proudly supported.”
Seth Stutzman, the president of The MarketPlace Group, said the Christmas Parade was “our way of thanking our customers for their loyalty and support throughout the year”.
“It is an important community event that brings families together and signals the beginning of Christmas in Bermuda,” he noted.
“We are pleased to dedicate this year’s parade to Vernon’s memory.”
The parade will include performances from the Royal Bermuda Regiment Band and Corps of Drums, Gombey troupes, dance and majorette groups and a variety of community organisations such as the Bermuda Police Service and Bermuda Fire Service.
The sponsor will showcase its character floats and live performers and Santa Claus will make his traditional appearance to close the parade.
It will be followed by a “Night Sky Celebration” — a co-ordinated drone and fireworks display over Hamilton Harbour.
A temporary no-fly zone will be in effect from 3pm to 11pm on Sunday while the drone show and fireworks display take place, the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority said.
An order published on the Official Gazette said that the direction was made “in the public interest for the safety and security of permitted aircraft in the area above the MarketPlace Christmas Parade Drone Show 2025 event”.
It added that aside from official exceptions, no aircraft, drone or balloon can be flown or operated in the defined airspace without the written approval of the BCAA and the permission of drone show organisers.
The affected airspace comprises a circle with a radius of almost 0.3 miles extending over White’s Island.
Parade night dinner packages will be available for pre-order until Saturday evening, with collection on Sunday from the Hamilton MarketPlace or Supermart on Front Street.
The parade, which begins at 5pm and ends at about 7pm, will set out from the Par-la-Ville parking lot and head on to Church Street, followed by Court Street and Front Street, where it will finish at the Birdcage.
• UPDATE: this article has been updated to provide additional information about the no-fly zone on Sunday
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