Participant Information

Remember the Three Procession Rules!

Except for those with special needs, there are only three rules for participating:

  • No written words (or symbols)

  • No live animals

  • No motorized vehicles 

Click here for more info about the rules.

And don’t forget to join us for clean up on Sunday, April 27: We’ll gather at 9 am for coffee at [LOCATION TBD] then clean up the streets along the Procession route and take down anything left over at Heritage Park. 

  • Registration forms may be picked up & returned at the: Procession Community Art Studio. Or register online [link needed] It's easy! Registration fee is two cans of food per person for the Thurston County Food Bank. Please bring on the day of the Procession. The Food Bank white van will be at the registration table on Procession day to receive your donation. Please give it directly to them. Thank you for supporting ALL of our community! 

  • Check-in begins at 3:30 pm. Check yourself and your group in at the Registration table at the corner of Legion and Franklin. Each of the four Element sections of the parade and their assigned blocks will be clearly marked by signs. You are encouraged to come early, walk around, and view all the other marvelous species... but please have your group assembled at your registered Element by 4:15 pm - We need to assure that music groups are placed in good positions throughout your Element. 

  • Procession participants will meet at the intersection of Legion Way and Cherry Street. Each of the four adjoining blocks will be closed to traffic and used by participants to gather according to their designated Element. Please see map to locate the block where your Element will gather. 

  • Traffic and parking will be very congested in downtown Olympia. Please carpool or ride the bus if possible. Parking is available in the lot at 7th and Cherry. 

  • The Procession will gather in the street on Legion Way within the two block span between Jefferson and Chestnut. Participant drop-off will occur at the intersections of Legion & Chestnut (heading south) and 7th & Cherry (heading west). Parking will be available in the adjacent parking lots south of 7th. Pick-up will occur in a similar fashion at the intersection of Legion and Cherry. (Note: Please expedite the process by leaving the drop-off area promptly, so as many people as possible may be dropped at the staging area in a timely manner.) 

  • Honey Buckets will be provided at the intersection of Legion and Jefferson and at Sylvester Park. Restrooms are also located at Heritage Park at the end of the Procession. The entire event should last about two hours. (Note: Please respect neighboring businesses with regard to restroom use.) 

  • Spectators! Art in the streets! Procession volunteers will be handing out street chalk to those waiting along the Procession route. This is a gift of collaboration and an opportunity for all of us to bring the natural world into our streets. You help keep your Procession of the Species a true community exchange. Please encourage both art without words and respect for the property of downtown owners. Please keep your art on the streets and off the walls.  Please help keep the street clean by picking-up leftover chalk and taking it home or placing it in trash bins. 

  • Please observe these basic safety rules during the Procession: - Carry NO GLASS during the parade. - Stay within your Element (section) during the parade. - Dance, slither, but please NO RUNNING. - In fact, go slow, be seen, dance from side to side and visit with your friends! Help any fellow Processioneers that may need assistance. - Keep a watch over our small species and help any lost children to Lost and Found. 

  • Please be mindful of not creating waste at Procession locations. This event celebrates Earth Day and the natural environment. Leaving no "footprints" of litter. Thank you for helping to pick up what others may leave behind. 

  • In the event that a child becomes separated from her or his group, please instruct children to go directly to the police kiosk in the New Caledonia mall located on 5th Avenue between Washington & Capitol Way. For lost items call 705-1087 and leave a description. 

  • Bring snacks & drinks, especially for young children, since Arts Walk night is a very busy time and finding space in local restaurants may be difficult. 

  • On Procession Day we hand-out dozens of windsocks and glittery spangles to wave and hold aloft while strolling along with the Procession. Pick them up at the registration table at the start of the Procession and RETURN them at the end so we can hand them out again next year. And them come to the studio next year so you can learn to make one of your own! 

  • WE NEED LIKE MINDED PEOPLE to adopt the large animals, and get them ready to roll on Procession Saturday. Some animals need touch up paint, wheels fixed, paper mache repaired, etc. Animals that aren't adopted will not be moved on Saturday. So, even if you still don't have a project, it's not too late to start. 

  • EVERYONE meet at 9:00 am at the Procession Studio for coffee, snacks and assignments. Dozens of Volunteers (#) are needed for the following tasks: 

    In the morning: 

    • Readying Element banners and registration gear at the beginning of the Procession route - 11:00 am (4) Setting up stage at Fountain Park - 11:00 am (6) 

    In the afternoon: 

    • Moving the large animals from the Studio to Legion x Cherry - 1:00 pm (12) Setting-up the registration tables - 3:30 pm (8) 

    • Acting as Information Guides - 3:30 pm (8) 

    • Connecting bamboo to banners, wind silhouettes (i.e. fish on sticks), and windsocks so that they are ready to handout - 3:30 p.m. (4) 

    • Handing out windsocks, spangles, float pullers - 4:00 pm (8) 

    After the Procession: 

    • Helping to move things back to the Studio from Heritage and the Fountain Park - 9:00 pm - whoever's left standing!