APD’s Operation Blue Santa Kicks Off With Chuy’s Children Giving To Children Parade In Downtown

“The experience of congregating around a float with other Austinites to donate gifts is a perfect opportunity to get into the holiday spirit!”

The Blue Santa Season will kick off today, November 24, with the Chuy’s Children Giving to Children Parade in Austin. The  event will begin at 10:45 a.m. at the State Capitol at 11^th and Congress and will move south on Congress to Cesar Chavez.

The parade will feature giant inflatable balloons, festive floats, famous children’s characters, live music, classic cars and Santa Claus.

The Chuy’s Children Giving to Children Parade is an annual toy drive benefiting the Austin Police Department’s Operation Blue Santa.

Everyone in the community is welcome, and those attending are invited to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to children served by the Blue Santa program (ages infant to 14). The unwrapped toys can be placed on stopped parade platforms during designated periods.

“The experience of congregating around a float with other Austinites to donate gifts is a perfect opportunity to get into the holiday spirit!”

For those who wish to contribute a financial gift, there will be parade volunteers with donation boxes walking as part of the procession.
 
Austin Police’s Operation Blue Santa is a charitable outreach effort created in 1972 by two APD patrol officers who realized that some families in their area would not have gifts or food for their children at Christmas.

The distribution began with 20 families from the back of a patrol car. Today, Operation Blue Santa serves more than 6,000 households with 15,000 children receiving gifts during the holiday season. For more information about Austin Police Operation Blue Santa, visit www.bluesanta.org.
 
The parade will involve full and partial road closures beginning as early as 6 a.m. including San Jacinto from East 11^th to 15^th. More details about road closures, alternative routes, and public transportation options are available on City Stage.
 
Parade attendees are encouraged to park on whichever side of Congress they will be exiting downtown to minimize delays. There are downtown lots, garages and metered spaces near the parade route.

Attendees are asked to avoid parking on the route itself or within one block of Congress Avenue as vehicles will not be allowed to move once the closure is in place and will be subject to tow.