Officials announced Thursday night that the Children's Medical Center Holiday Parade scheduled for Saturday morning, Dec. 7 is canceled for the first time in its 26-year run.

Due to the ice storm that blew through Dallas-Fort Worth early Friday morning and below-freezing temps that won't budge tonight, officials decided it would be best for the safety of parade attendees and volunteers if they called off the event; it will not be rescheduled.

On the Children's Medical Center Facebook page, they wrote:

We are committed to making life better for children, and we do not want to put the health and well-being of the people we serve at risk - including our patients, volunteers, participants, sponsors and attendees. We look forward to seeing you & your families in 2014!

According to their website, approximately 350,000 people turn out to the Downtown Dallas parade each year to line the streets and watch dozens of intricately-designed floats travel through the parade. Several local high school and college marching bands, as well as specialty groups like the Lake Highlands High School Wranglers were scheduled to perform at the parade.