Pleasanton Holiday Parade Canceled, But Tree Lighting Continues

PLEASANTON, CA - Pleasanton may have canceled its holiday parade, but there was still plenty of festive cheer to go around.

The Hometown Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony was canceled at about 3:30 p.m. after the steady rain didn’t let up. Pleasanton received about 0.95 inches of rain from Friday to Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service. The city set up a hotline all day to provide regular updates on the parade cancellation.

The cancellation marks the third time in the past four years that Pleasanton’s holiday parade was canceled, following inclement weather in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to Pleasanton Weekly.

The parade was set to include numerous floats and music from the Foothill and Amador Valley High School marching bands.

But it wasn’t all bad news. The gray weather was illuminated by hundreds of twinkling green, red and blue lights on the tree outside the Museum on Main. The city moved the tree lighting ceremony up about two hours to 5 p.m. Mayor Karla Brown flipped the switch, and then hundreds of brave, umbrella-donning Pleasantonians enjoyed the lights and live music. Santa Claus, already used to snow, didn’t mind the rain, and also made an appearance.