'It's tradition': Festival of Lights Parade returns to Palm Springs after COVID-19 hiatus
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Palm Springs on Saturday night for the 29th iteration of the Festival of Lights Parade, a holiday celebration with decades of history that was put on pause last year during the pandemic.
Johnston Nguyen, the band director at Palm Desert Charter Middle School, oversaw more than 150 students and alumni as they readied instruments and adjusted lights before the march down Palm Canyon Drive.
"Teaching music online, it wasn't the best," he said. "But having these students back, having these real-life experiences and being able to perform live music, that's what it's all about."
The annual parade, which began in the early 1990s, features floats covered in thousands of lights, a range of marching bands, performance groups, an appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus, and larger-than-life, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade-style balloons. On Saturday, a multistory candy cane floated above the city. Near it, a dozen balloon wranglers steadied two giant inflatable snowmen.
Brad Hammer, a retired firefighter from the Cathedral City Fire Department, has been in the parade since its inception. This year, and many previous, his grandchildren have helped him decorate a red truck with strings of lights.
After the parade, Hammer always hosts family and friends at his house for homemade tamales and chili.
"It's fun to be getting back to this," he said. "It's tradition."
The community grand marshals for this year's event were Mariah Hanson, the founder of Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend (one of the oldest and largest lesbian events and music festivals in the world), and Linda Barrack, CEO of Martha’s Village and Kitchen (an Indio-based homeless services provider).
In previous years, an estimated 100,000 people have attended the parade annually, according to organizers.
The Palm Springs City Council voted unanimously in July to authorize the return of parades and special events in the fall of 2021, including Saturday's holiday parade.
The city initially settled on allocating $30,000 for the Festival of Lights, with plans to fundraise for the remaining cost. But at city staff's request, the council instead directed staff to fund the event's full cost in order to maintain its quality from years prior, regardless of fundraising efforts.
The production cost of the parade is roughly $130,000, staff estimated at the time.
“After a long period of pandemic restrictions, the City of Palm Springs is thrilled to once again celebrate the joy of the holiday season with our residents and visitors at the Official City of Palm Springs Holiday Tree Lighting and at the spectacular Festival of Lights Parade,” Palm Springs Mayor Christy Holstege said in a November press release. “We invite the entire Coachella Valley to come celebrate the magic of the holidays in downtown Palm Springs, truly like no place else."
Prior reporting from Desert Sun journalist Erin Rode was included in this article.
Amanda Ulrich writes for The Desert Sun as a Report for America corps member. Reach out on Twitter at @AmandaCUlrich or via email at amanda.ulrich@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Festival of Lights Parade returns to Palm Springs after COVID-19 hiatus
