In 1977, Ken Haukom was working for the City of Los Altos Department of Public Works when he heard "about folks who want to have a small parade on Thanksgiving evening," as he told the Los Altos Town Crier. He remembered four or five "push-floats" built by volunteers. He helped set up that first parade downtown.
The 50th Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade steps off on Sunday, November 29, 2026, at 6 p.m. at First and State. Volunteers still push the floats. The organizers' volunteer page is asking for "float pushers and drivers" right now.
That detail explains how downtown's holiday season works. The Los Altos Village Association and the shops on Main and State run nearly every event between now and mid-December. The parade began as a merchants' idea too. Since 1981, though, it has belonged to an all-volunteer nonprofit that keeps its floats in a city warehouse and spends Saturday mornings on them every fall. It is the oldest night on the downtown calendar, and it is the one the shops do not run.
A merchants' idea that outgrew the merchants
The Town Crier's history of the parade credits three downtown merchants, Hope Higbee, Marion Jackston and Jack Huston. Friends Bob Grimm, Ed Hilton and Ted Johnston worked with them. Jack Huston's daughter, Maridee Huston-Charlton, marched as a toy soldier in the first one. She told the paper her father "roped me and my best friend Diane into being soldiers."
The Los Altos Village Association ran the event for a few years. In 1981 a group of community members formed the Los Altos Festival of Lights Association and turned it into an all-volunteer production. According to the Town Crier, the parade had simply grown too big for its original organizers. The association calls itself a nonprofit run entirely by volunteers and paid for by grants and spectator donations.
Three dates and decisions shaped the parade that runs today.
- 1981. The volunteer association took over from the merchants' group.
- 1992. A warehouse opened in the city's corporation yard. Until then the floats lived in volunteers' garages. After it opened, the large floats could stay in one place all year.
- Heritage Event status. The Los Altos City Council named the parade a Heritage Event. That brings city police, infrastructure and waste management services, which organizers told the Town Crier they "could not do without."
The date moved as well. The founders proposed a small parade on Thanksgiving evening, and it now runs on the Sunday night after Thanksgiving.
Fifty editions, with two missing nights
Counting from the first parade in 1977, this year's is the 50th. That count includes two years with no parade. Rain washed out the 2019 parade, and the committee canceled the next year's, set for November 29, because of the pandemic and California's limits on large gatherings.
The committee's statement at the time said it would "be back better than ever next year with all the holiday glitter, lights and music we have been providing over 40 years."
The 48th parade, which the Town Crier previewed ahead of its Sunday, Dec. 1 date, shows the scale a volunteer group now handles. Organizer Nancy Schneider told the paper it had 62 entries, including eight marching bands and 23 floats, under the theme "A Child's Holiday Fantasy." She said it took more than 125 volunteers behind the scenes. They moved floats to staging, fixed lights, looked after costumes, did makeup for the costumed characters, lined up the entrants and pushed or drove the floats. That is about two volunteers for every entry, before counting the people inside the costumes.
The association's entry page still carries that theme, "A child's holiday fantasy come to life," for prospective entrants. Float and group applications were due October 1, and returning entries get priority. For the anniversary it is running a "$50 for 50" campaign, with donations handled by the Los Altos/Mountain View Community Foundation.
The work happening right now
The association's own floats are maintained and refurbished on Saturday mornings. The association holds float work parties every Saturday from September through November, 9 a.m. to noon. Its volunteer page says electrical and mechanical experience "is valuable but not required." Five Saturdays remain before parade day, from October 31 through November 28.
Costume volunteers design, sew and maintain costumes and run try-on sessions through October and November. On parade day they also work backstage dressing characters, doing makeup and collecting costumes for the laundry afterward. The association offers costume volunteers VIP seating. The day-of roles are float pusher, float driver and the staging and security team.
How the night runs on November 29
The parade website lists the schedule as estimates:
| Time | Where the parade is |
|---|---|
| 6:00 p.m. | Steps off at First and State |
| 6:20–6:30 p.m. | First floats reach First and Main |
| 6:45–7:00 p.m. | First floats reach the end of the route |
| 7:20–7:45 p.m. | Final floats reach the end of the route |
Read down the right column. The front of the parade reaches the end about 45 minutes to an hour after the start, and the rest of the line takes roughly another 35 to 45 minutes to finish. That fits the Town Crier's note that the parade usually runs under an hour at any one spot along the route.
For the 48th parade, the route ran from First and State down State Street to Main, across First Street, down Whitney Avenue and across Third Street. A detailed 2026 route has not been posted. The start point is the same.
Before you head downtown:
- Road closures. The downtown triangle bounded by San Antonio Road, Edith Avenue and First Street closes at 4 p.m. on parade day. The entrance from Foothill Expressway at Main Street closes too.
- Saving a spot. Under the association's viewing guidelines, nothing may be placed on public property before noon. Watch from sidewalks or intersections, and do not stand in front of parklets.
- A less crowded spot. The association's FAQ points to Whitney Street near the end of the route.
- Pets. Organizers ask that dogs stay home.
The merchants' calendar around it
The rest of the season is the Los Altos Village Association's, and it starts this week. The parade sits in the middle of it.
- Thursday, October 29, 4–8 p.m. The State Street farmers market holds its 2026 finale and Fall Fest at 200 State St.
- Friday, October 30. BOO-tiful Downtown Halloween, sponsored by Cranberry Scoop. Trick-or-treating at downtown shops starts at noon, with games and activities at Veterans Community Plaza from 2 to 4 p.m.
- Friday, November 13, 5–9 p.m. The 23rd annual Holiday Stroll. The shop and musician lineups are still being announced.
- Saturday, November 28. Small Business Saturday, with a stop at Veterans Community Plaza at Main and State from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sunday, November 29, 6 p.m. The 50th Festival of Lights Parade.
- Friday, December 4, 6–8 p.m. The Holiday Tree Celebration at Veterans Community Plaza, with student performances, trolley rides and Santa.
- Thursdays, December 10 and 17, 4–8 p.m. Holiday Markets on State Street, with live music and Santa. The December 17 listing promises more than 50 vendors.
Small Business Saturday and the parade fall on back-to-back days. On Saturday, shoppers fill the downtown storefronts. On Sunday, the streets close at 4 p.m. and the downtown belongs to the volunteer-pushed floats that have carried the parade since 1977. For more on how downtown feels the rest of the year, see our afternoon in downtown Los Altos and our Los Altos neighborhood guide.
Maria Afzal Real Estate Group is based in Los Altos, and the Festival of Lights is part of our own December. If the 50th parade has you thinking about how your home would present to buyers this season, we would welcome the conversation. Request a complimentary luxury marketing consultation.
