The King Wamba Parade is Saturday, June 6th, 2026, at 10 a.m.

The King Wamba Parade celebrates 20 fun filled years! 

In 2006 Toledo Firefighter Mark Moffett had the idea that our quirky little neighborhood festival needed an equally quirky parade to kick it off. He’d read about a strange one off Toledo parade in 1909 called the King Wamba Parade. King Wamba and Queen Sancha, named after ancient Spanish royalty, rode up the river on the royal barge and then paraded up Madison Avenue to Toledo Spain plaza. Before the parade, it was billed as the Mardi Gras of the north. After the parade, it was billed too expensive to ever do again. That kind of weird Toledo history was just right for the Old West End and in 2006 the King Wamba Parade was reborn. An eclectic celebration of art, pageantry, and dance. This year we celebrate 20 years of being not only the unofficial kick off to Festival, but the unofficial kick off to summer in Toledo!

The parade starts at 10 am at Robinwood and Collins St. (Glenwood Elementary School). This lively convergence of art, music, street theater, and visual wonder will process south through the Old West End (Robinwood, Bancroft, Collingwood) ending at Collingwood and Floyd (Collingwood Presbyterian Church). 

The coronation of King Wamba and Queen Sancha will take place on the steps of the Toledo Museum of Art.

Contact:
KingWambaParade@gmail.com


Registration

We will be accepting 75 entries. You may register online by May 30th, 2026 or until we fill 75 entries.

No Political Candidates.


 

“Toledo's best and most eccentric parade!!”

–THE TOLEDO CITY PAPER

Parade Details

Check in 8:30-9:45. You will be assigned a check in time. We will step-off at 10 a.m.

Parade Route: The parade route is 1.8 miles long and begins near Glenwood Elementary (Robinwood and Collins).

Check In Location: Corner of Nesslewood and Robinwood Avenues, adjacent to Glenwood Elementary School. Turn on Nesslewood from Detroit Ave. Look for signage.

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, May 30th, 2026. NO LATE REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.