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

City Code Section 5-37 makes it unlawful to hold a parade, open air meeting, or block party in Joliet without a written permit from the City of Joliet, and requires everyone in attendance to comply with the applicable ordinances. Section 5-36 defines the three covered activities broadly: a "parade" is any parade, march, ceremony, show, exhibition, pageant or procession, including religious or political ones, held in or upon a street; an "open air meeting" is any outdoor congregation on an alley, highway, public way, or city-controlled property expected to draw more than ten people, including religious and political meetings; and a "block party" is a social gathering that disrupts or blocks pedestrian or vehicular traffic on a public right-of-way.

Section 5-38 requires parades to be routed and timed to minimize disruption of traffic flow, and requires open air meetings and block parties to conclude by 11:00 p.m., with attendance capped at whatever number will not unreasonably obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic. Section 5-39 resolves scheduling conflicts on a first-filed basis: a second application is treated as conflicting if it is set to start within two hours of another permitted event, or if its route or location falls within 2,000 feet, measured in a straight line, of another permitted event's route.

Section 5-40 exempts five categories from the article entirely: funerals and funeral processions, peaceful picketing, school- or college-sponsored athletic events, activities at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park sponsored by that park, and the Fourth of July celebration at Joliet Memorial Stadium (Joliet Park District property). Because Article III sits inside the broader special-events chapter, the Article I fee schedule referenced at Section 5-7 and the Section 5-6 site-inspection requirement for tents, stages, food or liquor service also apply, and Section 5-3 lets the city clerk issue implementing rules and procedures as long as they do not conflict with the Code.