Bloomington, IL Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

City Code § 38-1101 makes it illegal for any person to organize or participate in a parade for which a parade permit has not been applied for and obtained from the Special Events Committee of the City of Bloomington. A "parade" is defined broadly in § 38-1101B as any organized or unorganized grouping of pedestrians, riders or drivers using one or more sidewalks, streets or highways that lasts more than 15 minutes and has the planned or unplanned effect of interrupting free movement of pedestrian or vehicular traffic, including indirectly stopping traffic on intersecting streets.

Section 38-1102 requires each application to be in writing, specifying the proposed date and time, the anticipated number of walking groups or units, the sponsoring organization's name, the organizer's name, and a contact address and phone number. The application must be received by mail or hand-delivered to the office of the Bloomington City Clerk at least 60 days before the event if any part of a state highway is used, or at least 30 days before the event if the route uses only non-state streets; the longer lead time exists to obtain the required state permission for state highway use.

Failure to comply with the application requirements may result in denial by the Special Events Committee. Section 38-1103 lets the Committee draft, administer and enforce a rules manual governing parade routes, which must be compatible with public bus service, and it separately makes it unlawful for anyone participating in a parade to throw candy to spectators, holding the vehicle driver responsible if candy is thrown from a parade vehicle (walkers may still hand out candy at curbside). Section 38-1104 gives the Committee authority over traffic detours, typically executed by Public Works using barricades and signs.

Violations of Chapter 38 generally carry a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $1,000 under § 38-1106, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense.