SPOKANE, Wash. – As organizers prepare for Spokane’s annual Lilac Parade, they are dealing with unwelcome changes that may impact what parade-goers can see and do.
This May, when the community comes out to watch the Armed Forces Torchlight Parade, there will be fewer places to watch from. The parade route has been cut short by a decision made by the city.
Instead of the parade going as far south as First Avenue, it will only go as far as Riverside, shortening the route by two blocks.
“Are we going to have the same amount of people who want to watch it, and where are they going to be at? Are they going to be able to watch it without being ten people deep? So that’s a concern,” said Monika Hawkinson, Lilac Festival president.
“I personally, and I think most of directors, don’t feel that the parade route that was proposed was appropriate,” Hawkinson said.
This decision comes from an executive order that was signed last year that asked city staff to find ways to reduce costs for big events. The city pays for multiple expenses related to parades.
“We pay for security costs. So that’s police costs. We pay for things like, increased, garbage pickup and garbage collection. We pay for street maintenance,” said Erin Hut with the City of Spokane.
It’s not just the Lilac Festival parade route that has changed, but the routes of all parades taking place in Spokane. It’s part of the city’s effort to standardize these parades.
The city created three set parade routes that events can pick from. Staff says it cuts down on the cost by streamlining the process to plan these events and because fewer officers will have to work overtime.
“When it comes to the day of the event, we know exactly how many police officers we need. Police overtime costs are a huge, have been a huge issue in the past. So this helps us bring down police overtime cost,” Hut said.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
