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November 27, 2009 (7:47 pm) | Permanent Link

by Monica Surfaro Spigelman

Revel in the joy of the holiday when Tucson’s small-town charm spills into the streets for the 15th anniversary celebration of Tucson’s Downtown Parade of Lights.

Sponsored by the Downtown Tucson Partnership, the parade on Dec. 12 steps off at 6 p.m. and warms up the crowd with its host of lighted entrants and dazzling surprises. It winds its way through  Downtown from the staging area at 17th Street and Sixth Avenue, along city streets to Armory Park.

Click here to download an entry form.
Click here for a map of the parade route.

Downtown Parade of Lights Dec. 2003

The parade is a long-standing favorite that brings families downtown from across Tucson, to usher in the spirit of the season.  Onlookers can expect to see community groups parading, as well as multitudes of musicians, performers, floats, spectators and (of course) Santa Claus issuing forth his holiday cheer.

The parade this year won’t disappoint with its colorful cast of eclectic participants. It’s a point of pride for these inventive Old Pueblo characters, who do their best to make the parade visually arresting, old-fashioned and spontaneous.

“It’s the biggest Tucson spectacle of the holiday season – It brings out the inner Santa in all of us,” says Roxanna Baker, who along with a hardy bunch of accordionists marches each year in the parade. She remembers the days when the parade was a simple procession of community groups. “Now the parade has grown up into two miles of floats, musicians and characters all in the holiday spirit,” she notes.  Baker, Music Director for the Accordion Club of Tucson, reports that she and about 30 Pueblo virtuosos plan a festive strolling repertoire to keep the December 12 crowd entranced with jingles and smiles.

There will be vintage vehicles decked with streamers, life-sized gingerbread and winter characters. Each year the entries become more creative and colorful.

Joe Findysz of the Old Pueblo Vintage Fire Club says his group wouldn’t miss the annual trek Downtown to join in the fun. This year the club plans about 15 entries, from old sheriff cars to vintage ladder trucks.  Findysz hints that decoration of a 1958 Mac fire truck from New York City in red-white-blue glittering lights and stars is almost complete.  “We put thousands of strands of holiday lights on the trucks,” says Findysz, who has been with the parade since its inception.

John Aube knows his Retractable Convertible Club sponsored by Jim Click is always a crowd pleaser.  He expects at least 10 members to motor along the parade this year, from an authentic Cobra to a 1957 Thunderbird two-seater and a vintage 1924 Ford Model T. Aube himself will be in the parade’s first wave, his streamer-decked 1959 pink Edsel carrying Mayor Walkup along the route.

“I’m looking forward to the Holiday parade of Lights this year,” Walkup says. “And I encourage Tucsonans to come Downtown to join us for the parade and see the new stores and other Downtown developments since last year. We will have a good time.”

All parade entrants are eligible to participate in a contest that judges entries in seven categories. The panel of judges makes its decision just before the parade gets underway. Look for the banners the winners carry along the route.

Because December 12 also is an important date in regional tradition (it’s the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the start of the spiritual season in the Mexican calendar), rich cultural symbols are planned as part of the parade and the day’s events.  During the day, visitors to El Centro Cultural de las Americas will see a vibrant Feria Navideña holiday market, complete with tamales, mariachis and exquisite exhibition of nacimientos and folk art. At 7 p.m. there will be a special Mass and reenactment in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast at St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Ave.

El Centro Cultural plans a float joyfully decorated with paper flowers, streamers, and glowing lights. Local children dressed in Ballet Folklorico costumes will ride the float, swaying to the sounds of Spanish Christmas carols and strums of the mariachis.

“Holidays are a time of great meaning and memory,” says El Centro director Elva Flores, who has watched the parade become a tradition for many local families. Flores recalls the parade’s beginnings and comments: “First you plant a seed. Then it becomes a beautiful flower. The heart and soul of any city is its downtown, and the parade is the most joyful way to bring our spirit and our cultures together.”

PARADE DAY POINTERS

Downtown will exude holiday-ness with all its lights, munchies and parade activities all day on Dec. 12. Take your pick from a potpourri of delights set to enliven the festive day.

• The new public plaza outside Hotel Congress will be the setting for this year’s tree lighting. An afternoon celebration begins at noon. The Plaza will feature Local First Arizona booths laden with regional items. Shop for holiday gifting while sipping hot chocolate and munching roasted hazelnuts. There will be Toys for Tots collection. Carolers will serenade as VIP elves flip the switch at 5:45 pm on a 20-foot fir decked in quirky Hotel Congress style.

• Ring in the season’s spirituality and culture with Feria Navideña. This incredible Christmas fiesta is hosted by El Centro Cultural de las Americas and combines artisan market with traditional music, dining and exhibition. Clay folk artist April Romo de Vivar crafts new angel figurines depicting local community leaders for this Old Pueblo high art. El Centro is on the parade route. Mariachis will perform.

• The Tucson Children’s Museum (which also participates in the parade with a Youth Board float) stays open until 7 pm on parade Day for hands-on fun. Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s will be open for family-friendly shopping, too.

• Downtown businesses are ready to accommodate shoppers and strollers prior to parade kick off. Two examples: Xoom Juice on Congress stays open late and Preen will feature funky holiday fashion.