CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A longtime Thanksgiving tradition returns this holiday season. 

The Novant Health Thanksgiving Eve Parade will be back in Uptown Charlotte on Nov. 22. 

The parade is the fourth-largest of its kind in the country and the biggest in the southeast. 

Charlotte Center City Partners is the organizer of the event. 

Charlotte Center City Partners chief creative officer and executive producer of the parade Robert Krumbine said once a year the organization’s staff offers help to get the floats ready. 

In late October, they participated in a work day to clean, paint, decorate and refurbish the floats.

“Once a year everybody comes out and throws in their hands… their mind and make some really great work here,” Krumbine said. 

Brianna Bowers, who works at Charlotte Center City Partners, is a first-time volunteer. She helped decorate a Christmas float and will be at the event. 

“I think what I hope most is that this invokes the feeling of holiday cheer among everybody who is watching,” Bowers said. “I think there’s going to be such a sense of pride and joy.”

There are 90 individual entries for the parade this year, including floats, bands and dance groups. Some popular floats, including the Autobell sleigh wash, are back, and others are new. 

“Santa will have a brand-new float this year. Very exciting to see what this looks like,” Krumbine said. 

Bowers is excited for the parade that will roll down Tryon Street. 

“This will be my first year attending the parade so I’m really excited, especially to be able to do it from a volunteer’s perspective,” Bowers said.

Nearly 1,000 volunteers will be part of the televised event, which on average attracts around 100,000 spectators. 

This is the 77th year of the parade, which will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Thanksgiving eve.