SAVANNAH, Ga. — On October 25, a series of events are scheduled in Savannah that are expected to lead to significant traffic disruptions and make parking more challenging for residents and visitors alike.

“We’re anticipating increased traffic flow primarily due to road closures linked to the parade and the Film Festival,” stated Lieutenant Dana Purvis from the Savannah Police Department (SPD).

The Savannah State University (SSU) Homecoming Parade will kick off at 9 a.m. on October 25, impacting several streets and parking areas in downtown Savannah. Restrictions on parking will start at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.

“The main closures will occur around the staging area for Savannah State,” Purvis explained. “This includes East Broad Street between Gwinnett and Liberty Street. All adjacent side streets will also have no parking zones, and any vehicles found parked there will be towed.”

Additionally, Wag-O-Ween, the Pride Festival, and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Film Festival are all set to commence on the same day. According to the SPD, these events will contribute to increased downtown traffic, with congestion expected to persist into the following week.

“When you have the Film Festival, the Pride Festival and all of the events after the parade leading up into like the downtown area and city market area, we plan to have a huge crowd,” Purvis said. 

Pedestrians also need to take precautions when walking in any of the congested areas, SPD officials said.

“Always be with a partner,” Purvis said.  “Tell someone where you’re going.  Always have that contact with them, especially with your kids.  If you have pictures of your children and what they’re wearing that day, always have that handy. That’ll help us out tremendously when we’re trying to locate missing persons but have fun.”

Click here to see a full list of impacted streets.