General Rules and Regulations for All Units
- Nothing is to be thrown or tossed in the formation area OR along the parade route. Throwing items is a serious safety issue and will be strictly enforced and violators will be removed.
- Parade participants are ONLY allowed to hand out promotional gadgets, small toys, trinkets, and wrapped candies. Participants are prohibited from handing out any printed materials – coupons, brochures, flyers, leaflets, booklets, etc. CD's/DVDs, or glass/breakable items.
- Florida Statue §790.531(1) makes it unlawful to openly carry firearms. No exceptions are permitted for parade events. Safety concerns demand any article resembling a firearm displayed to view will be subject to inspection by police officers. All parade participants are strictly prohibited from firing any blanks. Absolutely no firearms –real or fake – are to be carried by parade walkers or mounted or carried on any float.
- SANTA will arrive at the end of the parade. No participant may be dressed as SANTA CLAUS!
- All performing groups such as bicycles, skateboards, scooters, rollerblades, etc. are required to wear protective pads and helmets.
- Participants are also responsible for cleaning up after their animals in the staging and disembarkment areas. If you do not clean up after the animals, we will hire a cleanup crew and the invoice will be sent to you for payment.
- Parade entries must keep pace with the line of the march. No counter marching or any other maneuver contrary to the forward progress of the parade will be allowed.
- Alcoholic beverages and other controlled substances are forbidden on any float, in any vehicle or on the person of any parade participant, to include at staging, during the parade and the disembarkment. Participants who consume alcohol prior to parade start are not permitted to enter the line of march, and people who use alcohol or other controlled substances during the parade will be removed.
- Personal use of the Winter Festival logo is strictly prohibited and is implemented for use exclusively by the Winter Festival Committee.
- Conduct deemed inappropriate by the parade chairman, festival officials or law enforcement will immediately disqualify entrant and will be dismissed from the parade. The Winter Festival Parade Committee reserves the right to remove from the parade, either prior to the staging, during staging or at any time during the parade, any entry not conforming to the rules and regulations or any entrant who refuses to follow instructions of police or parade officials.
- The City of Tallahassee, its employees, event sponsors and volunteers are not responsible for neglect, damage to your parade entry, theft or personal bodily injury to you, your employees, your representatives, your volunteers, and your guests while participating in the Winter Festival. This includes traveling to and from the event, pre-event set up, during the event and post-event tear down.
- Please note that all components related to this application and the parade is subject to change.
If a person with a disability requires an accommodation to participate or if special seating arrangements are needed, requests must be made to the event coordinator seventy-two (72) hours prior to the event.
The City of Tallahassee Parks and Recreation & Neighborhood Affairs Department reserves the right to photograph/videotape facilities, activities, and program participants for potential future use without compensation.
Liability Disclaimer
The City of Tallahassee Winter Festival does not provide liability insurance for the protection of participants, spectators, merchants, or others who participate in Winter Festival activities.
In consideration of being permitted to participate in such activity, the participant does hereby release and forever discharge the City of Tallahassee, its officers, officials, employees and agents, jointly and severally from any and all actions, cause of action, claims and demands for, upon or by reason of any damage, loss or injury, which hereafter may be sustained by participants, merchants, spectators, or others in consequence of participating in the City of Tallahassee Winter Festival activities. This waiver and release expressly include any action, cause of action, claim or demand based upon any act, omission, or negligence by the City of Tallahassee its officers, officials, employees or agents.
This release extends and applies to, and covers and includes all unknown, unforeseen, unanticipated, and unsuspected injuries, damages, loss and liability and the consequences thereof, as well as those now disclosed and known to exist. The provisions of any state, federal, local, or territorial law or statute providing in substance that releases shall not extend to claims, demands injuries, or damages which are unknown or unsuspected to the person executing such release at the time of such executive, are hereby expressly waived.
I hereby agree on behalf of my heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to indemnify the City of Tallahassee, its officers, officials, employees and agents and all members and officials of the Winter Festival Committee, jointly and severally, and to hold the same harmless from and against any and all attorney fees, which may at any time be incurred by them or claimed against them by reason of my participation in the Winter Festival. This holds harmless and indemnity provision expressly includes any action, cause of action, claim or demand based upon any omission or negligence by the City of Tallahassee, its officers, officials, employees, or agents.
Public Safety Regulations
- Throwing or tossing of items from floats, vehicles or persons with the unit is strictly prohibited.
- No participant may be dressed as SANTA CLAUS!
- Music and background sounds may not contain any sound that resembles a firearm, gunshot, cannon or any other type of weapon or startling sounds.
- Absolutely no firearms (real or fake) may be carried by parade walkers or mounted or carried on a float or vehicle. (Exceptions will apply to official law enforcement officials and military units with approval of the Committee.)
- Alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited before and during the parade. Violations of this regulation will result in participants' removal from the parade and such actions may jeopardize future participation in the Nighttime Holiday Parade and other festival components and may jeopardize future involvement.