“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, yeah!” said the voice of one kid who joined in unison with a countdown heard throughout a Coronado intersection as green, red, orange and blue bulbs flickered over Rotary Plaza.
That was the moment, as if picked directly for a Hallmark film, crowds awaited after bustling around the business district to partake in the holiday festivities of a historic city event.
Coronado Chamber of Commerce, the City of Coronado and Discover Coronado brought to life the 49th annual Coronado Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting of a pine looming over 85-feet for thousands of spectators on Dec 6.
“It’s a real small town event and so many people come together to put it on and everyone enjoys celebrating it,” said Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey. “There’s just nothing better.”
Parade floats
The Chamber of Commerce led the parade beginning at 6 p.m., followed by dozens of festive floats that traveled from the middle of Orange Avenue towards the Hotel del Coronado where it looped around back towards Spreckels Park.
And while organizers anticipated about 17,000 people to show up, Coronado resident Julie Hines said the crowds were manageable.
“You’re not 10 people deep watching the parade,” said Hines, who secured a spot on the median for her close and extended family. “It’s like one or two rows and so everybody’s gonna get a good view of the parade.”
Members from the Coronado Historical Association and the Rotary Club of Coronado, among the estimated 50 floats from local businesses and nonprofits, waved as they strolled along. Musicians and sports teams also interacted with spectators of all ages.
Also in the parade were the Coronado High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets, the school’s band and dancers from the Coronado School of the Arts.
“It gets bigger every year,” said Bryan Scott, who has lived in Coronado for the last 29 years with his wife Lyn Collaton. “And it’s also fun to see the kids playing because it reminds us of when we had our child when we were younger.”
Tree lighting
Immediately following the evening parade, people moved to replace the floats along Orange Avenue.
“Thank you so much for being here, it’s one of my favorite nights of the year,” announced Coronado Councilmember and Mayor-elect John Duncan.
Duncan said the 2024 tree lighting was dedicated to Belinda Jones — also part of the Chamber of Commerce, who passed away earlier that week — and welcomed her mother and brother in helping Santa light the tree.
“She was a light in our community,” he added.
At about 7 p.m., cheers of enthusiasm followed the tree’s illumination of a strand of lights stretching more than two miles, or the distance of the Coronado bridge, adding to the list of trees that now brighten the blocks of Orange Avenue.
“I just think it’s lovely to see all the lights up and down the whole street,” said Collaton. “It’s fun to see people from all over San Diego come out for it.”
Following the lighting, Bailey wished everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays in his last year.
“It really takes so many different groups of people to make this happen in such a beautiful way,” Rena Clancy, executive director for Coronado Chamber of Commerce, said. “The kids love seeing Santa Claus and it’s just a great community event.”
The night continued for everyone with the melodies of Christmas carols performed beside the Christmas tree on full display.
“When I look to my left and when I look to my right, there’s thousands and thousands of people, I absolutely love it,” added Duncan. “It’s a night of joy and everybody is happy.”
