Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade Was a Success!

Downtown Los Altos was the place to be last night. It was the site of the annual Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade. The parade is designed to bring the our community together to share the warmth of the holiday season.

I arrived around 5:00 p.m. to take some pictures. I also wanted to see how parade enthusiasts creatively “reserved” their viewing spots.

In the past, families would show up a day (or so) early and place chairs out on the sidewalk to “reserve” their favorite spot. Since the chairs, duct tape, tarps etc. clogged up the sidewalks , viewing guidelines were created. FYI, I don’t think the guidelines are being followed all that closely and that’s O.K.

This year the parade started at 6:00 p.m., which is an hour earlier than in prior years. I like the 6:00p.m. start because it allows younger families to stay through the entire parade before the young kids crash/get cranky. ( Note: the parade lasts about an hour.) It also helps the downtown restaurants and merchants.

Outside of a few large gaps between exhibits, the parade was excellent. It also appeared that attendance was up as well. See below for a few pictures from the evening.