Parade starts at River Road and Convention St. Parade Route is: River Rd (start)  to Convention St to 4th St. to Laurel St to 6th St. to North St. to Lafayette St. (end) The Annual Baton Rouge Christmas Parade has rolled through Downtown every year since 1950. It's a holiday tradition in Baton Rouge and serves as the official welcome parade for Santa Claus. Every year tens of thousands of people line the parade route and thousands more watch the parade on television. The Cortana Kiwanis Christmas Parade is a largest and longest running parade in the Greater Baton Rouge Metro Region. Over the years the parade has been managed by many different groups. In 2009 the reins were passed to Cortana Kiwanis Club of Baton Rouge - a local chapter of Kiwanis International. Under Cortana Kiwanis' management, the parade serves as a fundraiser which supports the charitable work done by Cortana Kiwanis year-round.