ROUTE: The parade route goes from Science Parkway\/East Henrietta Rd up South Ave, turns right onto Highland Ave, and ends at the corner or Goodman and Highland. (In the attached picture, green is roughly where we line up, and red is at the end, we usually have to keep moving, and that\u2019s the direction we move at the end.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n ARRIVAL: it\u2019s your choice when to arrive. Line up begins as early as 7:30am. Morti usually gets there a bit after 9. The roads start to shut down by 9:15. Plan to be at the line up spot (D52 on Science Parkway) with us by 10am. That gives us a chance to take photos and be social and not stress about where everyone is! Since it\u2019s usually chilly during line up time, we know many of you might plan to arrive at the last minute. Thats fine, but remember the parade won\u2019t wait for you! In the past they wouldn\u2019t let anyone drive on Science Parkway even to find their parade group after about 9am. It\u2019s tough to message or call while we are getting ready to roll, assume that Morti will not respond. If you\u2019re planning to arrive just in the nick of time, make sure you are geared up as much as possible and know where to go! (Worst case scenario, you could meet us as we come around the corner of Science Parkway onto East Henrietta\/South Ave). <\/p>\n\n\n\n PARKING: The best parking is usually at the Psych center at the south end of Goodman. In the past, if we were there early enough, parking passes haven\u2019t been an issue, they just stopped letting anyone in without a pass at a certain time (but they didn\u2019t ticket or tow those already parked). The two areas marked in light blue splotches on the map are the usual parking areas. The blue line is how to get from the psych center hospital parking lot to Science Parkway. Where it hangs a sharp right, that\u2019s is a foot path. Not the easiest to do on skates, but Morti has done it pulling 2 wagons with a toddler in skates tucked under an arm\u2026 We know the kids can pull it off! You can see how close the red end of the route is to the Northern blue parking splotch!<\/p>\n\n\n\n TIMING: The parade could end anytime from 11:15-1:30. We plan for around 12:30-12:45 but there are so many variables! Often at the end of the parade, there are so many people around that cell service quits working. If you\u2019re being dropped off, make sure you know what to do at the end of the parade in case there\u2019s no service!<\/p>\n\n\n\n WEATHER: Forecasts is 42\u00b0-62\u00b0 with a high chance of rain. If it rains, the parade still happens, but most of us will walk rather than roll (especially if it rains enough to make puddles!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n 50\u00b0 isn\u2019t that chilly, UNTIL you add in being wet, so have a plan for layering clothes and check the weather before leaving home that day if you can! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wet pavement is slippery for skates, but rain also destroys bearings (the part that lets your wheels spin on the skate\u2019s axels). If you skate, and your bearings get wet, take your wheels off and bearings out ASAP AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME. The bearings can rust which makes them stop spinning and even more troublesome, they can get stuck onto the axel. Bearings aren\u2019t cheap, but if they get stuck on the axel hard enough, we might have to replace a whole truck, and that would get expensive really quickly! <\/p>\n\n\n\n WHAT TO BRING: Along with proper clothing and skates\/safety gear, bring a water bottle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll have the wagon train, but that usually holds our first aid stuff, emergency tools, and parade handouts- there\u2019s NOT enough room to haul gear bags for all of the skaters! A drawstring backpack that holds slide on shoes and your water is a perfect option in case you need to walk. If the rain forecast is still uncertain, a clear poncho or small umbrella would likely fit inside as well! If you\u2019re walking, feel free to pull a wagon\/stroller. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If skaters are responsible enough to participate in the parade without a parent, (ie they can carry all their own belongings, won\u2019t leave trash behind, can follow directions given to the whole group without reminders, etc) please be sure they know the plan for after the parade ends (See note above about cell phone service)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parents\/siblings often come along with wagons\/strollers- we try to have strollers and wagons take up the rear. This allows us to create a little space, makes sure our wagon train is visible to spectators, and helps us catch anyone that falls behind or needs help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Skaters should plan to stay between our banner and our wagon train. Tricks or demo jams should happen closer to the center of the road, away from the curbs, and skaters need to work with coaches to make sure everyone can have fun and be safe (making sure league members know what is happening, and the safe ways to do this- including only jumping people that are laying down all the way- HEADS DOWN!- not getting up until it\u2019s clear, and ensuring other skaters are aware.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some Details From The Parade Organizers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Load-In begins at 7:30 AM on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Science Parkway<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plan to arrive by 9:30 AM; after that, road closures will prevent entry<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parade steps off at 10:30 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our assigned number and staging location is D 52<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there are any lineup changes, the parade volunteers will let us know upon arrival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This event is RAIN OR SHINE. Current forecast suggests a rainy day. If it rains enough to make puddles, we will walk. If there are just sprinkles or mist, skating is optional, be sure to dry your wheels and bearings and remove them from the skates as soon as you can so they don\u2019t rust to your axels!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drop off for participants is at the top of Science Parkway on South Avenue<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parking for Cars NOT in the Parade (Carpooling as much as possible is highly encouraged and recommended.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re driving in, you have several options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grass lot on Elmwood Avenue (closest walk to Science Parkway), 1440 South Avenue (at the traffic circle by Highland Park), the lot at the top of Science Parkway or on Science Parkway<\/p>\n\n\n\n The parade concludes at Highland Avenue & South Goodman. Here’s what to expect after we wrap up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Pedestrians (Looking for Your Ride):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your best pickup location is the corner of Highland and South Avenue or Highland and South Goodman<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your ride is on Elmwood, you may cut through the park to get there (Note: there are no sidewalks along South Goodman for a safe cut-through)<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Those Heading Back to Their Cars: Walk back up Highland Avenue and take the festival grounds path to your parking location<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lilac Parade is on Saturday May 9. We have NO PRACTICE for any level that day, and no Jellybeans. We love having skaters and their families join us in the parade. The parade steps off at 10:30 in the morning. Roller Derby (All 3 Rochester leagues) line up together. Our line up location is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/983"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":984,"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/983\/revisions\/984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/rocjrderby.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img_3538-233x300.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n