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Los Gatos Holiday Parade

Saturday, December 1, 2007 - The Los Gatos Holiday Parade

All YMCA Adventure Guides programs are invited to participate in the Los Gatos Holiday Parade. The parade route is essentially the length of Santa Cruz Ave from Highway 9 to Main Street, and then left on Main Street toward Los Gatos High School.

The parade begins at 11:00AM. The Sierra Expedition will probably enter the parade between 11:30 AM and 12:00 noon with our float, as we are number 145 in this year's procession.  We will need to form up in advance of that time on side streets adjacent to the parade route (see directions below). Being there no later than 10:30 AM is a good idea. The parade is held regardless of weather conditions.

Unlike previous years, the Expedition will be allowed only one float in the parade this year.  We have the flatbed truck from Akeena Solar, so we will be the most environmentally sensitive float in the parade.  We must have our float in the assembly area by 8:00 AM on parade day, and the side streets will be closed off at 9:00AM.

The expedition has decided upon a Hawaiian theme for the whole exopedition, so try to wear Hawaiian shirts as weather permits (bring a jacket for the waiting period).  Hawaiian holiday music will be playing from the truck.  Our princesses will be carrying scaled down heavy cardboard surfboards, which they can decorate. 

Judging will take place along the route at Bean and Santa Cruz Ave, so make certain that you are paying attention at that point and give the judges a big smile and wave. The parade is very informal, but there are a  few restrictions  from the parade organizers:

• The parade only has one Santa. No one else should dress as Santa Claus.

• Do not throw or hand out anything from your float.

There can be a wait of an 1 - 1.5 hours before we enter the parade, and boredom can be a concern.  Snacks are a good idea (although porta-potty bandwidth is limited!).  There does tend to be a fair amount of activity in the assembly area to entertain the princesses, and they will be in the company of other princesses from their circle.

Assembly Directions:

We are position 145 in the parade this year. There will be an information booth at the intersection of N. Santa Cruz and Almendra that will also have a map showing the physical locations of each parade entry.  More info on the parade can be found on our entry form here.

Parade Route: