Street Closures and Restrictions to Usher in the Hollywood Christmas Parade

HOLLYWOOD, CA - Tinseltown will ring in the holidays Sunday with the 85th Hollywood Christmas Parade, a star-studded affair that brings traffic in the region to a crawl.

City officials are warning drivers to prepare for a series street closures and parking restrictions.

This year's parade features Grand Marshal Olivia Newton-John. The festivities will kick off Sunday with a a pre-parade concert at 5 p.m, and the parade starts at 6 p.m. following red- carpet arrivals at 4 p.m. The parade winds along a 3.2-mile route that starts at Orange Street and Hollywood Boulevard, then heads east on Hollywood Boulevard, south on Vine Street and west on Sunset Boulevard back to Orange.

The parade hosts include Erik Estrada, Laura McKenzie, Dean Cain and Montel Williams.

The city Department of Transportation will strictly enforce no-parking policies for the parade. Vehicles parked on restricted streets will be cited and impounded at to the Official Police Garage at Hollywood Tow, 1015 N. Mansfield Ave. Information for recovering vehicles is available at www.opglaviic.com or by calling 311 or Hollywood Tow at (323) 466-8583.

Authorities are recommending that visitors attending the parade take public transport. Information is available by calling Metro at (323) GO-METRO or visit www.metro.net.

Street restrictions will be in place for the parade including Tow-Away no parking or stopping from midnight Saturday through 6 a.m. Monday:

-- Hollywood Boulevard between Highland Avenue & Orange Drive

-- Orange Drive between Hollywood Boulevard & Hawthorn Avenue Tow-Away No Stopping, 6 a.m. to midnight Sunday:

-- Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea Avenue & Orange Drive Tow-Away No Stopping, 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday:

-- Cherokee Avenue between Hollywood Boulevard & Selma Avenue

-- Hawthorn Avenue between La Brea Avenue & Highland Avenue

-- Sunset Boulevard between Highland Avenue & La Brea Avenue

-- De Longpre Avenue between Highland Avenue & La Brea Avenue

-- Fountain Avenue between Highland Avenue & La Brea Avenue

-- Lanewood Avenue between La Brea Avenue & Orange Drive

-- El Cerrito Place between Franklin Avenue & Hollywood Boulevard

-- Sycamore Avenue between Franklin Avenue & Hawthorn Avenue

-- Sycamore Avenue between Sunset Boulevard & Fountain Avenue

-- Orange Drive between Franklin Avenue & Hollywood Boulevard

-- Orange Drive between Hawthorn Avenue & Santa Monica Boulevard

-- Mansfield Avenue between De Longpre Avenue & Fountain Avenue Tow-Away No Stopping, 1 p.m. to midnight Sunday:

-- Hollywood Boulevard between Highland Avenue & Vine Street

-- Vine Street between Hollywood Boulevard & Sunset Boulevard

-- Sunset Boulevard between Vine Street & Highland Avenue

-- Franklin Avenue between La Brea Avenue & Highland Avenue

-- Santa Monica Blvd between La Brea Avenue & Gower Street

-- Highland Avenue between Franklin Avenue & Sunset Boulevard

-- La Brea Avenue between Franklin Avenue & Fountain Avenue

-- Cahuenga Boulevard between Yucca Street & Hollywood Boulevard (West side of street only)

-- Yucca Street between Gower Street & Argyle Street (North side of street only) Hollywood (101) Freeway:

-- Northbound and southbound off-ramps of Cahuenga Boulevard and Highland Avenue will all be closed from 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday.

City News Service