City Council
MEETING DATE: 5/10/2017
TITLE:
Title
Snow Fest
End
FROM:
Chris Parman, Communications / Events Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Approve the recommended changes to Cathedral City's annual tree lighting event.
Body
BACKGROUND:
On the first Thursday of December each year, Cathedral City holds its annual holiday tree lighting ceremony in front of City Hall. The event typically includes the arrival of Santa Claus, musical performances, and light refreshments. Average attendance for the event is about 300 people with the exception in 2015 when College of the Desert held its first "Street Fair" in downtown and the event was moved to a Wednesday evening instead of Thursday evening.
Most recently, local businesses have been eager to become more involved in the event as a way to give back to the community during the holiday season. Last year, Volkswagen of Palm Springs sponsored the event, and the year prior, Family Medical Center sponsored it.
DISCUSSION:
Parks and Community Events Commissioner Karyn Barnes approached staff with the idea of building the event into a festival. Commissioner Barnes was a founder and manager of the "Festival of Lights Parade" in Palm Springs. She met with staff to discuss all the possibilities. Based on those meetings, staff is proposing the following changes and additions to the annual holiday tree lighting ceremony:
1. Change the name:
In the past three years, the name for the annual tree lighting ceremony has been "Santa & Seasonal Lights" and/or "Seasonal Lights, Santa & Skating on Ice". We propose the name to be changed to "Snow Fest". We think the name itself will create interest in the desert, but more importantly, one of the features of the festival is to spray fake snow made of bubbles all over Town Square Park to create the illusion of snow.
2. Change the Date and Time:
Instead of occurring on the first Thursday of December, we propose holding it on the second Saturday of December between 5 pm and 9 pm.
3. Add a night time parade:
Parades that are organized correctly can really pull in the community to be the "stars" for the event. With Karyn's experience of creating the "Festival of Lights Parade", she plans to start as soon as approval is given by contacting organizations and businesses. The night time parade will start at Date Palm Drive and Perez Road GO DOWN Perez Road to Cathedral Canyon Drive TURN LEFT on Cathedral Canyon Drive to Officer Vasquez Road TURN LEFT on Officer Vasquez Road to Pickfair Street TURN RIGHT on Pickfair Street to Avenida Lalo Guerrero TURN RIGHT on Avenida Lalo Guerrero and END at Civic Center Plaza. The parade would pre-stage on Date Palm Drive between East Palm Canyon Drive and Perez Road. The parade would kick-off at 5:30 pm. One of the main attractions that she would like to secure as soon as possible is the large tractor of lights that used to be part of the "Festival of Lights Parade" in Palm Springs.
At the end of the parade the larger floats will continue to be on display along Avenida Lalo Guerrero until the end of the Festival.
3. Local Musical Performances:
From the end of the parade to the end of festival, local groups that were in the parade and others will be given an opportunity to perform on the steps of City Hall.
4. Holiday Tree Lighting:
At the end of the parade, the Mayor and City Councilmembers would conduct a countdown to light the holiday tree.
5. Santa Arrival Via the Parade:
As part of the night time parade, one float would contain Santa Claus who will arrive via a float in the parade to downtown. Once arrived, Santa will assist the Council in lighting the holiday tree. After the lighting of the tree, Santa will be seated in Town Square Park for photographs with kids.
6. Festival Row:
Around the Civic Center Plaza, holiday craft vendors can reserve space to sell merchandise. The Festival Row would also include food and beverage vendors that specialize in holiday treats.
7. Ice Skate for Free:
In accordance to our contract with Desert Ice Castle, we would work with them to provide up to 300 free passes to ice skate for free at Desert Ice Castle during the festival hours.
8. Holiday Movies for Free:
As part of the activities, the Mary Pickford Theatre, Cathedral City, will offer a free holiday movie on a first-come, first-serve basis that is geared towards families with children.
FISCAL IMPACT:
As it relates to the cost of the festival portion, the additions of local entertainment and vendors are either budgeted or will be paid through booth rentals. The faux snow at Town Square Park will either come from equipment through our public works department or will be rented. In either case, sponsorship dollars should cover the cost beyond what is budgeted.
As it relates to the night time parade, Karyn has received confirmation with a fundraiser who helped her with the Festival of Lights Parade, Mr. John Hall. He has verbally agreed to work on this event. Upon written contractual approval by the council, the funds raised through Mr. Hall will go to offset any additional costs associated with the parade. They will adapt the parade budget to match the amount of funds raised through sponsorships.
ATTACHMENTS:
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