December 4, 2008

Downtown is Glowing

Holidays are here

San Jose parade set for Dec. 7

By Carol Rosen
Editor

It’s obvious the holidays are here. Downtown San Jose is wearing its holiday garb and there is plenty to see and do while enjoying the beautiful weather—and the lit tree.

On Nov. 28, a flip of a switch brought the 60-foot City Community Giving Tree to life during the city’s annual tree-lighting ceremony. Christmas in the Park draws over 450,000 people to downtown San Jose during the four-week holiday season. It is supported through fundraising efforts by the volunteer Board of Directors, is free to the public and is open from 9 a.m. to midnight daily. Photo by Kymberli Brady

Last Friday, the city lit its 60-foot Community Giving Tree to the delight of the large crowd assembled for the evening. Plaza De Cesar Chavez has transformed itself into a winter wonderland with more than 60 musical and animated exhibits and glittering lights at Christmas in the Park.

In fact, you might want to travel downtown on Sunday, Dec. 7 to watch one of the biggest and best holiday parades in the country and while you’re at it visit Christmas in the Park and see the giant Christmas tree.

The parade is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. with an opening number from Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley. In addition, Brianna James will perform during the parade and the day before at the inflation celebration at Paradefest at Christmas in the Park. The inflation celebration begins on Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. and allows people to watch the giant helium balloons begin to inflate and rise above the downtown streets. The celebration also includes live entertainment, children’s activities and giveaways to begin the fun weekend.

What’s a parade without a grand marshal, or should we say marshallette? This year’s grand marshal is Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, who comes to San Jose courtesy of Disneyland® Resorts.

Once the parade is over, there will be more fun at Christmas in the Park. The city has arranged for live performances from special guests including Joey Page and The Raggs® Kids Club Band, Marvel® Superheroes, Miss USA and children’s activities, prizes and more giveaways.

There are a number of areas with bleachers to view the parade. Radio stations will have bleachers in the following areas:

- K-FOX and 104.9—Santa Clara Street and Almaden Boulevard
- KVVN—Santa Clara and San Pedro
- KISS-FM—Market and Santa Clara streets
- STAR-101—Market and Post streets

The San Jose Holiday parade is a family tradition that began in 1981 when Santa Claus arrived for the opening of the Christmas in the Park display at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Santa appeared on the roof of the St. Claire Hotel (currently the Hyatt), vanished from its rooftop and magically appeared at the hotel entrance. He leaped into a horse-drawn carriage that took him up Market Street to the park. In the first year the parade consisted of a couple of fire engines, city vehicles and Santa.

The 60-foot City Community Giving Tree came to life during the city’s annual tree-lighting ceremony with members of the San Jose City Council, the Redevelopment Agency, City Manager’s office, choir performances and others. Photo by Kymberli Brady

The next year, the parade became the Christmas in the Park Parade. It began on Park Avenue and circled around Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The parade featured a handful of units including the San Jose State University Spartan Marching Band, a couple of floats and children’s groups. This tradition continued for a number of years until the parade became too large just circling the park.

In 1987, KNTV, San Jose’s only network affiliate television station, began to broadcast the parade throughout the Bay Area as it gained popularity. In 1993, the Christmas in the Park Parade became the San Jose Holiday Parade, beginning a new tradition. In 1994, the parade expanded to become a major California event and showcase California’s third largest city. Giant helium balloons, professionally made floats and marching musical units throughout North America were invited to join.

At the start of the Millennium, the parade was named “One of the Top 25 Parades in America” by the International Festival and Events Association and USA Today. In 2006, International Festival and Event professionals honored the Holiday Parade with the Grand Pinnacle Award. This award is presented annually to recognize the overall top international event.