This is a juried exhibition, so expect high-quality ceramics, photographs, glass art, sculpture, handmade toys, weavings and jewelry galore. The Holiday Zone features seasonal crafts, including ornaments. Add to this carnival mood a variety of street performers, from jugglers to cellists to unicyclists. The main stages of entertainment feature locally known bands. The Mill Avenue Merchants Association-sponsored festival takes place annually on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday of December.
Admission is free.
The nighttime parade has been known to attract 300,000 curbside spectators along Central Avenue, plus 300,000 people watching the local live broadcast. It's great fun, and while no one has actually counted the lights in the light parade, the number has been estimated at more than 1 million. The parade is on the first Saturday of December starting at 7 PM, and admission is free. Southwestern-style luminarias are paper bags weighted down with sand, with each bag containing a lighted candle. It's a holiday tradition to place luminarias along a path to brighten the way in the dark nights of winter.