The Days of ’47 Parade — one of the oldest parades in the United States — was held Friday in Salt Lake City and featured the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the president of the church’s Relief Society organization as the parade’s grand marshal.
President Dallin H. Oaks, 18th prophet-president of the Church of Jesus Christ, and Sister Kristen Oaks were surprise participants.
The parade’s grand marshal was President Camille N. Johnson, General Relief Society President of the Church of Jesus Christ.
The parade began in 1849 and has been held annually since, barring the war years and COVID-19 pandemic. It honors the pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who entered the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847.
Each float takes dozens of people months to create and represents a different aspect of this year’s theme: “Like, Learn, Love Pioneers.”
“It is just incredible to see the talent and dedication and love of our pioneers that all of the community puts into creating a float ... that will help remember and honor those pioneers,” said Jodene Smith, the parade’s 2026 preview chair.
Those who made the floats exemplify the pioneer spirit, Smith said: “Things go wrong, things don’t go as planned. But they seem to pick up their bootstraps and start over and create an amazing entry for the parade.”
One float from the East Mill Creek North Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ pays tribute not only to the pioneers but also to the history of the parade itself.
The float — which is covered with antique-looking books and a giant copy of the Declaration of Independence — was inspired by an antique book on the life of Brigham Young, the church prophet who led the pioneers to Utah.
About a week before she was asked to lead the float design, Liz Johnsen’s neighbor showed her the book. She thumbed through it, and it fell open to a page about that first pioneer parade in 1849.
“I thought, ‘Well, if I ever get asked to be in charge of a float, I’ll know what to do,’” she said. “And I closed it and I put it on my bookshelf.”
Johnsen and her committee worked to design a float that celebrated that first parade and the power of books and stories.
“Whenever you read a story out of a book, it comes alive,” she said. “Our whole concept is: We march into the future anchored in our past, anchored to those stories, anchored to those lessons ... that we pull out of books.”
Johnsen said pioneer stories offer valuable lessons today.
“Those stories of our past can really help us create a beautiful future.”