COUNTYWIDE : Diversity Is Theme of Holiday Parade

Cultural diversity will be saluted in the Times Orange County Holiday Parade on Saturday in Santa Ana.

The parade will proceed along Bristol Street and Sunflower Avenue from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

The event was moved this year from its usual route through the streets of downtown Santa Ana to a new location around South Coast Plaza. Organizers said the move gives the parade participants and observers more space and room to maneuver.

About 90 groups will take part in the parade, from a Navy band to Greek dancers.

Among the participants are the Fiesta Folklorico Dancers, the San Gabriel Valley Chinese Cultural Assn. Dragon and Lion Dancers and the Fraternidad Guatemalteca Orange County.

Bolivian Diablada, a 35-member troupe that performs Bolivian dances, will also be on hand, as will Daria Bearden’s Dance Company, which will perform dances from “The Nutcracker.”

Giant helium-filled balloons depicting cartoon characters such as Popeye and a Smurf will also be on display.

The parade begins at 9:30 a.m. at the corner of Bristol Street and Alton Avenue. It will run down Bristol to Sunflower Avenue, where it makes a right turn. The parade ends at Sunflower and Plaza Drive near an entrance to South Coast Plaza.

Parade organizers say that the event will cause traffic problems.

Shuttle buses to the parade will depart every 15 minutes between 7 and 8:30 a.m. from the Santa Ana Transportation Center (1000 E. Santa Ana Blvd.) and from the Laguna Hills Transportation Center (24500 Paseo de Valencia).

Afterward, buses will depart from the parade locale every 15 minutes between 11:45 a.m. and 2 p.m. The fare is $1 each way.