‘Tis the season for holiday parades

North Pole Party Parade in Lancaster kicks off festivities

The holiday festivities are here, heralded by a pair of parades on the next two weekends.

Stepping off first will be the North Pole Party Parade, presented by the Antelope Valley Chambers of Commerce.

Starting at 10 a.m., on Saturday, the parade will march down Lancaster Boulevard, beginning at 10th Street West and heading east through downtown to Sierra Highway.

“We’ve had a really good response this year,” Chamber CEO Mark Hemstreet said, with almost as many entries as the last holiday parade, in 2019.

As the name implies, Santa will be a featured guest at the parade’s end.

Following the merger of the Lancaster and Palmdale chambers of commerce, the AV Chambers of Commerce announced earlier this year that it would hold one holiday parade going forward, with the location to alternate between the cities, starting in Lancaster this year.

“Our thought is two cities, one parade,” he said.

This exemplifies what Hemstreet said is the parades’ stand-out feature: the diversity it attracts, in entries and along the parade route.

“It’s such a true reflection of our community,” he said. “One of the greatest things I see is the diversity in our community, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, smiling, everyone just having a good time.”

On Dec. 11, the Jingle Holiday Winter Parade will bring the festivities to Palmdale.

Sponsored by Palmdale

School District, the City of Palmdale and the Antelope Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the parade will begin at 10 a.m., with lineups at Yellen Park, 52nd Street East and Avenue S. It will proceed east on Avenue S to 55th Street East, then head north, ending just before Domenic Massari Park.

“We’re excited. We can hardly wait,” AV Hispanic Chamber President Sylvia Duarte said. “It’s going to be good.”

Although they have been participants in the past, this is the first time that either the school district or the Hispanic Chamber has hosted a parade.

For the District, the project came about when some parents said it would be nice to have a parade in their own community for their children to participate in and to watch, said Candace Craven, Palmdale School District’s Coordinator of Extended Learning and Community Outreach.

Originally, the District planned a short, small effort, primarily for its students and families. However, when Craven approached the City of Palmdale, she learned the Hispanic Chamber was making plans of its own and they decided to combine efforts.

“We’re surprised how the community has come together,” Duarte said. “People are still calling, asking to be in it.”

So far, some 60 entries are lined up, with more than 1,000 people participating, Craven said.

“We’re very excited. We certainly did not expect that many people,” she said.

Organizers are taking steps to help ensure spectators may spread out along the route and avoid congregating in crowds, Craven said.

Even though it was planned as a parade for those Palmdale residents who wanted a more local event, participants have signed up from Lancaster and elsewhere in the Valley.

“We are definitely looking forward to it,” Craven said.