Star of the season
Biggest Twinkle Light Parade ever will light up Central
Celebrate the festive season in Albuquerque with the city’s largest holiday parade, the Twinkle Light Parade, on Saturday, Dec. 3, in Nob Hill.
The parade begins at 5:15 p.m. and will run west on Central Avenue from Washington to Girard in Nob Hill. It has been nominated for Favorite Holiday Parade in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards. The public has until Monday, Dec. 5, to vote. A link can be found on the city’s Cultural Services website.
“This year we have 103 entries, which is more than we’ve had in the past, which we’re very excited about,” said Bree Ortiz, events and operations manager for the city of Albuquerque. “And remember, an entry isn’t just a float. One entry can be 500 Girl Scouts, one entry could be 100 people in a marching band. There’s thousands of people in the parade.”
Holiday-themed and holiday-inspired entries include those by the Albuquerque Fire Department, Albuquerque Police Department, Albuquerque Stars Dance Team, Boys & Girls Club of Adobe Acres Elementary, Comic Crusaders for NM, Dezert Dogz Buggy Club, Encantada Band of Enchantment, Highland High School Cheer, Kit Carson Elementary, Rio Grande High School Band, Strolling Low Car Club and many others.
“Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails are sponsoring the Santa float this year,” Ortiz said. “They have been one of the top; they’ve won Best in Show. Always in their category, they do a really great job. This year, they were interested in the Santa float, so they’ll be doing that, which means they usually have 500 to 600 Girl Scouts there. They’re doing it as kind of Santa’s Village, so all the kids will be dressed as toys and Santa will come after. That’s the very last float in the parade. They are really excited.”
Eventgoers will not be affected by Albuquerque Rapid Transit construction.
“The whole area that is the actual parade viewing area from Washington to Girard is construction-free, and there’s just a couple of the medians that are ripped up that have the barricades up that will keep people kind of back,” Ortiz said. “But that’s really it, so it’s not going to really affect us at all, which is very exciting.”
A free Park & Ride service will be available to eventgoers.
“We do have a free Park & Ride so people can avoid all the construction altogether, which is really great,” Ortiz said. “It will be at the corner of University and Lomas. So they can park there and they will get shuttled to Johnson Field, which is at the end of the parade route. It’s free, and that will run from 3-10 p.m.”
If you want to start your holiday celebration a day earlier and help cross off relatives and friends on your shopping list, head to the Old Town Holiday Stroll from 5 to 9 tonight. The highlight of the evening is the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree in Plaza Don Luis. The tree is made up of about 150 real trees put together to make a giant one, according to Ortiz. Also part of the event is free admission to the Albuquerque Museum, Explora and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.
“We close all the streets in Old Town, and all the merchants participate, so it’s really geared toward shopping and local business,” Ortiz said. “We put performers throughout the streets. We have about 12 various volunteer performer groups, so we have a lot of high school show choirs, little kid singers, different a cappella groups, carolers at all corners throughout Old Town, so that kind of adds to the ambiance.”