The Old Town Orcutt Christmas Parade will follow a new route on Saturday, which organizers say is meant to ease parking and traffic congestion in the area.

The parade begins at noon and will travel from the intersection of Clark Street and Marcum Street to Rice Ranch Road and Dyer Street.

The event, organized by a small group of Orcutt Lions Community Foundation members and volunteers, has been a holiday tradition in Orcutt since 1961. The parade brings out kids, community groups, classic cars, animals and marching bands, as well as a visit from Santa.

Shuttle Service

Free parking and a shuttle from Pioneer Park at 1150 W. Foster Road in Santa Maria will help move spectators into Old Town starting at 10:30 a.m. The shuttle will run throughout the event, with the final return trip to Pioneer Park leaving Old Town at 2 p.m. Organizers said the shuttle will have room for folding chairs and other parade accessories.

Parking

Limited public parking will be available in the school parking lots at 610 Pinal Ave. starting at 9:30 a.m. Spaces are first come, first served and will remain open until the lots are full.

Limited handicap parking will be available at Coast Hills Baptist Church for vehicles that picked up a parking pass in advance from the Orcutt Lions Club at 126 S. Broadway, which was available until 6 p.m. Thursday.

Road Closures

Several streets along and near the parade route will close to traffic beginning at 9:30 a.m., with all closures expected to lift at about 1:30 p.m.

Key closures include Clark Avenue near Blosser Road at 9:30a.m. and several intersections along Broadway, where restrictions begin at 10:30 a.m.

A full parade map, including staging areas, parking and a list of road closures, is available at https://www.orcuttchristmasparade.org/.