Most of the 30 floats are not paid for by the government, but by sponsors and brands. The Christmas celebration will be a big one: 44 musical bands, three international, one from Costa Rica, and 150 food kiosks along the route, so no one watches the parade with an empty stomach.
EXTENDED TRANSPORTATION SO NO ONE IS LEFT STRANDED The Metro will operate until midnight, and Metrobús will add more units, so the return trip is not a fight or a puzzle. Security will be a joint effort: National Police, MINSA, Traffic, and all public order entities will be on the streets to ensure this is a celebration, not chaos.
THIS CHRISTMAS DOESN'T JUST SHINE — IT'S ORGANIZED The mayor's office says this parade will be big, but smart; beautiful, but orderly; festive, but planned. On Sunday, December 14, Calle 50 will be a party, lights, and Christmas. But it will also be a corridor protected by a historic security operation.
The Municipality of Panama confirmed that more than 5,000 personnel and 15 institutions will work to ensure a safe and orderly parade. The operation will cover the entire route of the Christmas event. The parade will start at 3:00 p.m. at the intersection of Calle 50 and Aquilino de la Guardia, in front of Banco General. The route will advance to the El Rey Supermarket on Calle 75 Este, San Francisco.
Ricardo Araúz, administrative director of the Municipality, assured that the plan was built with logistics and responsibility. Nothing is being left to chance. Among the participating institutions are: SINAPROC, Fire Department, National Police, Municipal Police, Traffic, SPI, ATTT, MINSA, Migration, SENAN, SENAFRONT, Sum 911, MiBus, Social Security Fund, Sanitation Authority, and Panama Metro. It is a joint, massive, and coordinated effort.
The deployment includes 1 Operations Center, 2 cranes, 3 meeting points, 5 medical posts, 7 rapid intervention units, 8 ambulances, and 25 micro-enterprise inspectors. All designed to respond to emergencies in minutes.
Traffic Police already has a plan in three stages: Saturday, 13 (night): closure of Aquilino de la Guardia towards Calle 50 to move in floats. Midnight on Saturday: closure from Federico Boyd to Aquilino. Sunday: from 10:00 a.m., Federico Boyd is closed to Plaza New York; at noon, Plaza New York is closed to connect with the full Calle 50.
There will be parking on Cinta Costera 1, so people can leave their car without stress. A special space for people with disabilities has also been provided. Inclusion is part of the event.
Additionally, there will be: 10 garbage trucks, 280 cleaning workers, 12 bleachers, 20 light towers, 150 entrepreneur kiosks, and 200 portable toilets.
The Municipality throws out numbers.
In a press conference where Mayor Mayer Mizrachi was not present, the Municipality spoke clearly through its team. The head of Logistics, Ricardo Araúz, threw out the number without hesitation: The total production of the parade is estimated between $2 and $3 million. However, the Municipality only pays $400,000, with the rest covered by the private sector. "We are cutting more than $2.5 million," said Araúz.
