Helldorado Parade will pay tribute to victims of Las Vegas shooting
Las Vegas’ annual Helldorado Days celebration of its Wild West heritage returns this weekend, and this year’s edition will include a tribute to victims’ families and survivors of the Oct. 1 shooting on the Strip.
Victims, families of victims, festival attendees and first responders from the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival will march together in this year’s Helldorado Days Parade.
The parade steps off at 10 a.m. Saturday and is expected to last two hours. The route is along Fourth Street in downtown Las Vegas, starting at Gass Avenue and working its way north to Stewart Avenue. 
Even though the parade kicks off at 10 a.m., Fourth Street and sections of several cross-streets along the route will start closing at 6 a.m. The streets will reopen by 2 p.m.
This year’s parade has roughly 100 entries, including horse clubs, motorcycle clubs and dance groups. High school marching bands each receive $1,000 for participating, and high school groups who enter a Western heritage or Las Vegas-themed float receive $1,500.
Las Vegas residents with a May 15 birthday, which is also the anniversary of the city’s founding, were invited to march together as part of the “5/15” club.
The Helldorado Days event was first held in 1934, created by the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks Lodge No. 1468, and has raised more than $4 million for children’s and veterans’ charities. The Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial sponsors the annual parade.
Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @Journo_Jamie_ on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Art Marroquin contributed to this report.
