Petaluma Butter & Eggs Days Parade

 Saturday, April 20, 2024, 12 p.m. 

petalumadowntown.com 

Parade route: One mile - Starts on Fourth Street (at D St.) to Kentucky Street, right onto Washington Street, right onto Petaluma Boulevard North to Petaluma Boulevard South and end at D Street.

Clover Kids Parade 11:30 a.m.

Parade route: 4 blocks -  Begins on 4th Street (at D St.)  to the Kids Area in the A Street Parking Lot.

Kids Parade is for age 8 years & under and is open to pre-schools, primary grade classes or clubs, mothers clubs who apply and are accepted.

Historic Downtown hosts Butter & Egg Days 10 a.m.-5 p.m. See: petalumadowntown.com

Parade float entries are accepted into the event based on how well they carry out the theme. Floats, push floats, bands, colorful costumes, uniformed attire, drill, dance team or comical routines, antique or unique vehicles are all represented -- think out of the box! 

Each year in April a festive, unique parade themed  steps onto the streets of historic Downtown Petaluma for an event that entertains the youngest chicks to the oldest roosters & hens, plus people, too.  The day-long event is free & fun for all ages, and is followed by the annual Antique Faire on Sunday.

While Fair Oaks has is Chicken Festival to celebrate the town's local resident fowl, Petaluma's Butter & Eggs Festival  is  a tradition based on the region's rich agricultural history as one of the premier dairy regions in the country.

Among the parade contestants you'll see floats with dairy (eggs & butter) themes, marching bands, local dignitaries riding in cars, and plenty of decor honoring the chicken, eggs, and butter. A "Good Egg" is selected to ride in the parade. That individual is selected from a list of nominees who represents egg-ceptional values and contributions as a citizen of Petaluma.

There parade is the highlight to spring in Petaluma, and celebrates a time when birds build nests, lay eggs and began to hatch their young, feathery charges. Petaluma's historic downtown region is recognized for its architecture, history and events. The community parade showcases the best of Petaluma and Petaluma's history. The 100-unit parade features over 3,000 participants, more than a hundred volunteers and supports every aspect of community life.

Activities before, during and after the parade include four blocks of exhibit space for arts and crafts exhibitors, food vendors offering a wide variety of festival foods, sponsor booths, community and non-profit booths and a large area to entertain youngsters with inflatables, rides, and hands-on activities. Don't miss this great opportunity to participate in one of the North Bay's largest events.

People crack up when visiting Petaluma's Butter and Eggs Days Parade. There's no need to walk on eggshells around this town where there once was a huge painted chicken by the side of the road alerting you that you had arrived in Petaluma.

History of Petaluma & Eggs - During the Gold Rush a need for food created many business and fast growing industries. Petaluma began supplying eggs and product and at one time up to 600 million eggs were shipped out of Petaluma to nearby San Francisco, and around the world annually. Petaluma is the birthplace of the incubator, which was the beginning of Petaluma's "Egg Basket To The World" title, and as one of the premier dairy regions in the country.

With temperatures that seldom dip below freezing, poultry farming offered a cost-effective business that could operate year-round. The Egg Basket of the World, as Petaluma was once called, is remembered and honored not only in the annual parade and festival, but in the Petaluma Museum where a Poultry Exhibit traces the region's unique and honored role.  Throughout the years the festival has enjoyed unique events and promotions such as cooking of the world's largest omelet, egg toss and all things eggs.