Parade Route Begins at West Circle and Loops Back to Telegraph and Sproul Plaza

The Big Game isn't until Nov. 19, but you can join in the hoopla on Monday, Nov. 14 with a Big Game parade, the first since 1957.

Cal hosts this year's Big Game Saturday, Nov. 19, in Memorial Stadium. The Golden Bears, who downed Stanford last year to take possession of the Axe, will try to retain it on home turf, game time 12:30 pm.

The Monday parade begins at 10:30 am at the West Circle on campus, then heads west on Center and south on Shattuck. It loops to Telegraph and concludes with a rally on Sproul Plaza.

The parade is sponsored by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. It's intended to build a closer relationship between the business community and the University, said Milt Von Damm, chamber president.

The chamber also hopes to renew a tradition. The 1957 parade was the 12th and last football parade down Shattuck Avenue.

It featured "beauty queens" -- they called them that in '57 -- from across the country. The elaborate floats, antique cars, and high-stepping majorettes had to avoid the Key System streetcars. The lieutenant governor was the grand marshal.