Buffalo Days 2026 parade registration opens, Jamestown adds fee and entry cap

Jamestown’s downtown will set the stage for Buffalo Days 2026, but organizers are putting firm limits in place as the celebration grows. The Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce has opened parade and vendor registration for the city’s signature summer event, and this year’s parade will be capped at 75 entries with a registration fee aimed at keeping the route safer and the lineup better spaced.

The Buffalo Days Parade is set for Saturday, July 25, at 9:30 a.m., starting at McElroy Park and moving north through downtown Jamestown along 1st Avenue. Parade lineup begins at 8:30 a.m. at McElroy Park, with entrants directed in by the baseball diamonds behind Cash Wise. Chamber executive director Emily Bivens said the changes are intended to improve safety, spacing and the overall experience as the parade continues to grow.

The Chamber is looking for floats, vehicles, walking groups, and bands or performance groups, and entries will be taken first come, first served. Horses or other animals that create a mess may trigger a $200 cleaning fee if the cleanup is not handled on site, another sign that organizers are tightening expectations as participation increases.

The celebration will continue after the parade at McElroy Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., where the vendor show will bring together local vendors, food trucks, a classic car show, inflatable games and family activities. Vendors and food trucks must register, and the deadline for the 2026 Buffalo Days Food Truck & Vendor Show is July 17. Buffalo Days itself is scheduled for July 24-26.

The numbers point to how much the event has already expanded. A 2023 recap counted 71 parade entries, 18 vendors and booths, and 126 classic cars at the Jamestown Classic Car Club Show & Shine. The new 75-entry cap sits right near that earlier parade turnout, suggesting the Chamber wants to keep the celebration manageable while still filling downtown with enough activity to carry the day.

Buffalo Days remains tied to Jamestown’s Buffalo City identity and to White Cloud’s legacy, with North Dakota Tourism describing the weekend as a citywide celebration that includes a car show, parade, street dance, pancake breakfast, vendor show and more. For Jamestown businesses, families, nonprofits and visitors, the parade and park lineup will again help define how downtown looks, sounds and feels on one of the city’s busiest summer weekends.