Parts of the downtown Gainesville square will be rerouted starting at 4 p.m. today for the Gainesville High School homecoming parade.

The parade starts at 6 p.m., and city officials will close the intersection of Main and Washington streets at 4 p.m. to prepare.

"This is the first year that we've broadcast the parade on TV-18, so we'll pull in a van and hook up cameras at that time," said Catiel Felts, the city's communications and tourism director. "The drivers can still come onto the square and take a left onto Main but can't go straight through to West Academy."

Officials will also close part of Main Street near the library, but drivers can exit onto Brenau Avenue, Felts said. The parade starts at 6 p.m., and officials will stop traffic on a section of E.E. Butler Parkway for a few minutes as the parade moves out of the square.

All streets will reopen before the tailgate on the square starts at 6:30. Local recording artist Allen Nivens will perform a free concert.

"The first part of the parade comes out of the Suntrust parking lot and goes around the square, and another section starts on the next street, and it'll block E.E. Butler momentarily to get the rest of the (parade) cars across the street," Felts said. "The parade should be over by 6:15. It doesn't last that long and shouldn't be too inconvenient."