Downtown SLO Holiday Parade canceled due to coronavirus. Here’s what is happening instead
The holiday season will look a little different in downtown San Luis Obispo this year.
Organizers have canceled the 2020 Holiday Parade due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news release from Downtown SLO. The annual nighttime event, traditionally held in early December, features festive floats winding through downtown streets.
“With restrictions and community safety in mind, we will not be able to produce our traditional Holiday Parade in 2020,” Downtown SLO CEO Bettina Swigger said in the news release. “Rather than invite thousands of people to gather downtown for one night to see the parade, we will invite downtown visitors to space their visits, support local businesses, and see an evolving array of activities.”
Those include an expanded Holiday Stroll and Light Up Downtown, a holiday decorating showcase featuring shop windows, and outdoor parklets in front of restaurants decked with seasonal splendor, the release said.
In addition, Santa’s House, the Classic Carousel and the 21-foot-high Holiday Tree will be on display in Mission Plaza, Downtown SLO said on its website.
“We are working on ways for families to visit with Santa safely, and take photographs,” Swigger wrote in an email. “Those plans have not been finalized nor approved yet, though.”
Organizers said these are activities that “families and friends can do on their own time and in a safe, physically distanced manner.”
The Holiday Parade is the latest in a string of popular events in downtown San Luis Obispo canceled or postponed due to coronavirus concerns. The Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market was put on hold in March and and the Concerts in the Plaza outdoor music series and Central Coast Pride were canceled in May.
According to Downtown SLO, a complete schedule of events will be available in late October or early November at DowntownSLO.com/holidays.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 12:12 PM.
