Marlborough Seeks Participants For 2023 Labor Day Parade

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Planning is underway for Marlborough's 2023 Labor Day parade — the 71st annual event in city history, and one of the largest in New England.

This week, Marlborough put out a call for local performers, community groups and others to begin entering to participate in the parade. The event is also in search of sponsors for 2023.

This year's Labor Day parade will also be the last for Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant, who will end his time as mayor at the end of 2023.

Marlborough's Labor Day parade dates to 1952, when former mayor Romeo Gadbois and former parks director Louis Ghiloni organized the first end-of-summer event. That year's parade featured World War II veterans, and featured 12 marching units.

The parade grew over the years, including the addition in the 1980s of a separate festival and fireworks display. The event was held every year since 1952, except in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic. The 2022 event was nearly 1-1/2 miles long.

"In recent years, with the support of Arthur Vigeant, our 43rd mayor, the parade has grown to include a wide variety of historical re-enactment groups, fife & drum corps, military color and honor guard, drill teams and marching units, high school and college marching bands and rock bands and, from time-to-time, a Mummers group from Philadelphia. Entries include veterans, politicians, home and school groups, non-profit agencies and more," organizers said in a news release.

Labor Day falls on Sept. 4 in 2023.