Consumer Fire Products Inc. will host the 67th annual Downtown Santa Barbara Holiday Parade on Dec. 6 this year.
The theme will be “A Tropical Holiday,” according to a news release.
The festivities will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. The parade starts at Sola Street and continues down State Street to Cota Street.
Event organizers expect more than 65,000 spectators. Featured will be “giant balloons, magnificent marching bands, community floats, spectacular performance groups, the Holiday Prince and Fairy, and of course the most anticipated appearance of the season: Santa Claus,” according to the news release.
The tropical theme was chosen to showcase Santa Barbara “sunny, laid back attitude.”
“Santa Barbara offers a world of ways to decorate, illuminate and celebrate our community and to bring out the ultimate ‘ooh and ahh’ factor from the fans.”
The Holiday Prince and Fairy are sponsored by Paseo Nuevo Shops & Restaurants. The parade royals will lead the parade down State Street and will light a Community Christmas Tree.
“This beloved tradition is a vital part of the holiday season celebrated in our community. We have again partnered with our anchor, Nordstrom, who will style the winners in new outfits for their Holiday Parade debut,” said Mary Lynn Harms, senior marketing director for Paseo Nuevo.
Young artists 6 through 10 years old are invited to submit a drawing depicting the Parade theme using any sheet of paper no larger than 11-by-17 inches. For more info on the Prince and Fairy art contest, or to enter a drawing, visit https://www.downtownsb.org/events/downtown-holiday-parade.
Santa Claus will also make an appearance on a float for the parade’s grand finale.
The public can visit Santa prior to the parade. He will greet families in Paseo Nuevo Center Court for “Photos with Santa,” from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
