After more than a century in downtown St. Paul, the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s signature daytime parade is marching off West Seventh Street and relocating to Grand Avenue come January.

The St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation announced Tuesday that the carnival’s King Boreas Grande Day Parade will be held Jan. 25 in conjunction with the Grand Avenue Business Association, drawing more than 100 parade units to Grand from Dale Street to just past Lexington Parkway.

“We’ve always been about celebrating all of St. Paul, and by relocating to Grand Avenue, we meet more people who want to be involved,” said Lisa Jacobson, president and chief executive officer of the foundation, which runs the Winter Carnival.

“The Grand Avenue Business Association approached us with the idea, and we actually loved the idea,” Jacobson said. “Where it’s being held might bring in new people and different people who want to come to the parade, who want to bring their families. There’s a lot neighborhoods right there. I anticipate a lot of neighbors will come out.”

Carnival draws some 250,000 visitors

Still, the rerouting is no small loss for downtown and no small gain for Grand, which is already well known for hosting the long-standing Grand Old Day parade and street festival, held each year as an unofficial kickoff to summer. The Winter Carnival, which was established in 1886 and is entering its 139th year, has a $3 million to $5 million economic impact on the city and state, according to organizers. It’s the oldest winter festival in the country and draws some 250,000 visitors to its events.

Parade chair Tom Barrett said it remains to be seen whether shutting down a section of Grand Avenue will offer any cost savings, though it’s entirely possible, as the city requires reimbursement for hooding parking meters on West Seventh, and Grand is not metered.

The biggest payoffs likely will involve new sponsors such as existing and emerging small businesses on Grand, as well as greater participation from surrounding residential streets.

“They’re just going to try to spread the joy to other areas and to more people,” said Barrett, the former director of the Minnesota Gambling Control Board. “I think we’re going to see a huge number of participants and parade watchers this round. … That’s one of the things I’m looking forward to — maybe getting more marching units, high school bands. Granted, we’re talking about January.”

Two parades — and one stays on West Seventh

Barrett said the two parades that bookend Winter Carnival festivities have shifted locations in the past 139 years, with the King Boreas parade at one point starting on Summit Avenue, wrapping around the Minnesota state Capitol building and then entering downtown.

Jacobson noted that downtown West Seventh Street and Rice Park will continue to host the carnival’s evening Torchlight Parade, which closes out the festival with the Fire King, Vulcanus Rex, deposing King Boreas in an elaborate celebratory duel on the steps of the George Latimer Central Library.

Among Winter Carnival events, “we don’t have any other major changes in location that we’re talking about,” she said. “This is still St. Paul. It’s not far.”

Chris Jensen, a residential mortgage agent and president of the Grand Avenue Business Association, said Grand Avenue will offer “warming houses” at designated sponsoring businesses, “places where families can go not just during the parade but throughout the weekend.” He said talks have been underway for about three months, and the new parade route was approved by the Festival and Heritage Foundation board and garnered a thumbs-up from St. Paul police, as well as GABA’s executive team.

Grand Avenue will still host its annual “Grand Meander” business promotion on Dec. 7, Jensen said. “We have 28 new businesses that have opened in the last 18 months on Grand Avenue,” he said. “Those are businesses that have either reopened or are new.”

The parade relocation has already drawn a new sponsor — Todd Russell, proprietor of the soon-to-open Grand Avenue restaurant Russell’s, which is taking over the old location of Tavern on Grand. Russell, who grew up on Grand Avenue and has been involved in Winter Carnival planning since 1989, said in a statement that he has watched Grand Avenue evolve since childhood and “we’re creating a new tradition that will not only bring families together but also revitalize this historic street.”

The 139th Winter Carnival takes place from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2. For more information, visit wintercarnival.com.