The following description comes from the event organizer.

From the moment the lovable Fred Bear cuts the ribbon to kick off the Fred Meyer Junior Parade, fun reigns. Children come from all parts of the city to join in: dressing in costume, transforming wagons into floats, decorating their bikes with colorful flowers, or just parading with their friends and family. Elementary and Middle School marching bands fill the Hollywood District with song, and dance teams add swirls of color to the celebration. No matter how they participate in this pint-size parade, the kids enjoy their moment in the spotlight on Fox 12 Plus live, local television.

Early in the Portland Rose Festival's history there were celebrations of our community’s children. In 1918, a group of six kids in the Hollywood District were sorely disappointed that their beloved Rose Festival had to be cancelled due to World War I. So, they decided to hold their own parade - with a procession of two bicycles, a tricycle and an express wagon carrying their own Queen traveling down NE 44th Street. Having been an official Rose Festival event since 1936, the Junior Parade is the nation’s oldest and largest children’s parade.