The streets of Waimea will be filled with more than 30 lighted floats on Saturday as the 21st annual Waimea Lighted Christmas Parade welcomes the holiday season. “It’s just a small-town parade and everything is from within Waimea,” said Esther
The streets of Waimea will be filled with more than 30 lighted floats on Saturday as the 21st annual Waimea Lighted Christmas Parade welcomes the holiday season.
“It’s just a small-town parade and everything is from within Waimea,” said Esther Estes, event organizer. “The (West Kauai Business and Professional Association) wants it to be the last chance of the year that Waimea businesses can make money.”
Floats from Waimea businesses, PMRF, DuPont Pioneer, and others from around the island will be lined with lights and will parade down the center of Waimea town starting at 6 p.m. Marching groups and music will also be part of the parade.
Estes said the Waimea Lighted Christmas Parade doesn’t ever have an overall theme, that’s left up to the individual floats. Usually Nativity themes dominate the parade.
The parade is about an hour.
“It’s really a lot of fun and a lot of people come in,” Estes said.
Restaurants and grocery stores will be open a little later that day. Estes said that most people usually show up early on Saturday to snag a good spot for the parade, but some spectators claim their territory as early as Friday.
“Friday morning people are reserving their spots along the street,” Estes said. “Nobody takes their chair, everybody knows that’s where they’re going to sit at the parade.”
The absolute latest Estes recommends arriving in Waimea for the parade is 4:30 p.m. Saturday — and at that point she predicts that you’ll be battling traffic.
“It’s just like the Lihue parade in that lots of people come out,” she said.
After the last twinkling float clears Waimea’s town center, an after party will kick off at Hofgaard Park, featuring country music by Los Kauaianos. There will be free snacks available as well.
“All the businesses in Waimea donate snacks and drinks for the after party,” Estes said. “So there are cookies and coffee, things like that.”
The entire event is free to the public.
“Come out and enjoy the parade, enjoy the music, and support Waimea town,” Estes said.
