Pageant vs. Parade — What's the Difference?

An elaborate public dramatic presentation that usually depicts a historical or traditional event.

A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind.

A spectacular procession or celebration, especially one involving costumed performers or contestants.

An organized public procession on a festive or ceremonial occasion.

A beauty contest.

The participants in such a procession.

A usually pompous or ostentatious display or sequence

A regular place of assembly for reviews of troops. Also called parade ground.

An elaborate public display, especially a parade in historical or traditional costume.

A formal review of marching military troops.

A spectacular ceremony.

The troops taking part in such a review.

Ellipsis of beauty pageant.

A line or extended group of moving persons or things

(obsolete) A wheeled platform for the exhibition of plays, etc.

An extended, usually showy succession

To exhibit in show; to represent; to mimic.

An ostentatious show; an exhibition

A theatrical exhibition; a spectacle.

A public square or promenade.

An elaborate exhibition devised for the entertainmeut of a distinguished personage, or of the public; a show, spectacle, or display.

To take part in a parade; march in a public procession

Of the nature of a pageant; spectacular.

To assemble for a ceremonial military review or other exercise.

To exhibit in show; to represent; to mimic.

To stroll in public, especially so as to be seen; promenade.

An elaborate representation of scenes from history etc; usually involves a parade with rich costumes

To behave so as to attract attention; show off.

A rich and spectacular ceremony

To cause to take part in a parade

To assemble (troops) for a ceremonial review.

To march or walk through or around

To exhibit ostentatiously; flaunt

An organized display of a group of people, particularly

(military) military parade: A show of troops, an assembly of troops as a show of force, to receive orders, or especially for inspection at set times.

A public procession, especially one commemorating a holiday or special event or (dated) in protest.

Synonym of gaggle: A group of geese when on the move, particularly a line of goslings shepherded by one or more adults.

Synonym of herd: A group of elephants when on the move.

A place reserved for such displays, particularly

Synonym of parade ground: A place specially designated for such displays or for practicing close-order drills.

(dated) promenade: A route, street, or square frequented by pedestrians or formerly used for military parades.

(uncommon) road, used in place names.

The people who make up such a display, particularly

The body of soldiers thus assembled.

The body of promenaders thus assembled.

(figurative) show: any similarly orderly or ostentatious display, especially of a variety of people or a series of things paraded around.

A row of shops beside a street.

: a description of the programming schedule formerly announced on the radio and various television channels.

(uncommon) parry in both its literal and figurative senses.

(intransitive) To take part in a parade, particularly

To assemble for inspection, to receive orders, etc.

To march impressively or ostentatiously.

(transitive) To march past.

(transitive) To march through or along.

(figurative) promenade: to walk up and down, especially in public in order to show off and be seen by others.

To move slowly through or among.

To walk in a row led by one parent, often trailed by the other.

(transitive) To cause to take part in a parade, particularly

To assemble soldiers for inspection, to receive orders, etc.

(figurative) show off: to display or reveal prominently or ostentatiously, especially in a kind of procession.

To furnish with a parade or parades.

The ground where a military display is held, or where troops are drilled. Also called parade ground.

An assembly and orderly arrangement or display of troops, in full equipments, for inspection or evolutions before some superior officer; a review of troops. Parades are general, regimental, or private (troop, battery, or company), according to the force assembled.

Any imposing procession; the movement of any group of people marshaled in military order, especially a festive public procession, which may include a marching band, persons in varied costume, vehicles with elaborate displays, and other forms of entertainment, held in commemoration or celebration of an event or in honor of a person or persons; as, a parade of firemen; a Thanksgiving Day parade; a Memorial Day parade; a ticker-tape parade.

A pompous show; a formal or ostentatious display or exhibition.

Posture of defense; guard.

A public walk; a promenade.

To exhibit in a showy or ostentatious manner; to show off.

To assemble and form; to marshal; to cause to maneuver or march ceremoniously; as, to parade troops.

To make an exhibition or spectacle of one's self, as by walking in a public place.

To assemble in military order for evolutions and inspection; to form or march, as in review or in a public celebratory parade{3}.

A ceremonial procession including people marching

An extended (often showy) succession of persons or things;

A visible display;

Walk ostentatiously;

March in a procession;