Holiday joy is in the air in San Luis Obispo, and even our four-legged friends are feeling it.
“He gave Santa lots of kisses, and he had a really nice time, so I'm really glad Santa is out in town,” said Emily Kimball, who took her dog, George, to meet Santa Claus at Mission Plaza.
It will be their first time attending the Downtown SLO Holiday Parade on Friday night.
“I saw how many parking restrictions there were, so I was surprised by that,” Kimball said. “I'm wondering how large it will be. ”
Denise Topham and her granddaughter are looking forward to the holiday event.
“Every year it gets bigger and bigger, and a lot more people attend,” Topham said. “It's just, it's a blast. I love the fire trucks, Santa, the bands.”
The theme this year is "Out of This World."
“All things space,” said Maggie Kovach, the events manager for Downtown SLO. “We're going galaxy, aliens, astronauts, you name it, we've got it. Any one of our 85 floats are decorated according to the theme.”
Here is a look at the parade route, which is highlighted in red.
“The parade starts at Palm Street by the Ah Louis Store, which is one of our presenting sponsors this year,” Kovach explained. “[The] parade will start, it will move down Monterey and then head down, turn onto Osos and all the way down Higuera, so there's really not a bad spot in the house.”
There will be free parking options on-street and in the structures between 6 and 9 p.m., but you need to arrive early.
“We'd like for people to be in there and settled in by around 4:00 just because it's going to fill up to capacity, and then soon after that, we're going to start shutting down all the surface streets that need to be shut down,” said Sgt. Evan Stradley, who is part of the Traffic Safety Unit at the San Luis Obispo Police Department.
If you want to avoid traffic, stay away from the downtown area.
Only residents with a special pass can access certain areas along Dana Street and Brizzolara Street.
Closures include parts of Higuera, Monterey, Palm, Mill and Peach streets. According to the City of San Luis Obispo, closures will be in effect between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m.
“Dress in layers, bring chairs, set up early, have fun,” Kovach added.
“Carpool if you can, walk […] but just get down here early,” Topham recommended.
Be aware of your surroundings when leaving the event.
“Drive slow, just know that there's a lot of kids walking around,” Sgt. Stradley said.
The parade starts at 7 p.m. To learn more about the event,click here.
If you want to vote for your favorite float, click here.
