One of Long Beach’s favorite holiday time traditions, the Daisy Ave Christmas Parade, a.k.a. the Christmas Tree Lane Parade, is celebrating its 60th (yes, sixtieth) anniversary this year. What a remarkable achievement! According to Maria Norvell, longtime chair of the event, “This parade is unique in that it is the only holiday parade of its kind that runs down a residential street and not a commercial corridor.” This year, in support of all of our neighbors in the Wrigley area, folks from Rose Park will be marching in the parade in our own little contingent. It’s our way of saying “congratulations!” and “Thanks for putting on this wonderful event year after year.” If you’ve never been to the parade, you’ll find that it’s a whole lot of fun, and in comparison to its better known Christmastime cousins, the Belmont Christmas Parade and the Long Beach Boat Parade, notably more low key. The parade features everything from high school bands to antique cars and bicycles—and there’s always a fire engine, lovingly decorated with strings of holiday lights.

This year’s Christmas Tree Lane Parade kicks off at 5:00 pm on Saturday, December 14th. It runs along Daisy Avenue starting at Burnett Street and ends, three-quarters of a mile further down the road, at Pacific Coast Highway at about 7:30 pm. House parties and lawn parties and folks sitting at the curb can be found all along the parade’s path. Many homes along the route have put up holiday lights and other decorations, which helps perpetuate the street’s well-earned nickname of “Christmas Tree Lane.” If you wish to join our group, we’d absolutely love to have you and your friends and your family with us! If your dog is on a leash and won’t mind the brisk weather and the friendly commotion, you’re welcome to bring him or her along, too—just make sure to bring a “collection bag” or two for the pooch, of course. Walkers need to be there a bit early so that we can find our place in line in the set-up area, which is located along Daisy between Willow and Burnett Streets.

For more info, please contact Joanna Alpízar, our events coordinator, by e-mail.

The parade runs Southbound only; it’s only three-fourths of a mile in length, and it’s a terrifically fun event. So we hope that you can join us. As happens every year, there are some road closures in the area that are connected to the event. As soon as those road closures are announced, will post them. You can learn more about the parade’s history here.