About 50,000 spectators crowded Mill Avenue Friday evening to see the annual Arizona Public Service Fantasy of Lights Opening Night Parade.
The parade celebrated its 15th year with a lighting ceremony of a new artificial 60-foot Christmas tree in Centerpoint Plaza on Mill Avenue.
Kate Hastings, managing director of APS, said in her six years working with the parade she’s seen the audience grow by 35,000 people.
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“It’s everyone’s hometown parade,” Hastings said. “It’s not a Disney parade, and it’s not Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. It’s filled with community groups and families that all come together to have fun.”
Some of the 40 community groups that participated included Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops from the area, color guards and equestrian units. ?
Hastings attributed a lot of the event’s success to better programming and promotion this year.
New programming included free screenings of classic holiday movies at Mill Avenue's MADCAP Theaters.
The event planners work all year to organize the parade and activities, Hastings said. The parade has to go through a permit process with the city of Tempe and arrange for security at the event.
Getting sponsors to pay for the event is also a big part of it, she said.
“We have to raise all the money that pays for the parade,” Hastings said. “Because there is no admission fee, we have to pay for it almost entirely.”
This year’s $30,000 price tag was more challenging to cover than in previous years, she said, but APS raised enough money to put on the event.
“For many families, it’s become a tradition,” Hastings said. “It’s a mix of nostalgia and new experiences.”
Elementary education junior Megan Stuart attended with a group of friends.
It was her first time at the event, and Stuart said she wanted to see the parade and floats.
“I saw it in the newspaper, and I thought it would be a lot of fun to come to,” she said.
Aerospace engineering freshman Michael Poyfair attended the parade with his parents for the first time because he wanted to relax and see the lights, he said.
He said he was surprised by how many people showed up and said the parade could have drawn more people if advertising was aimed at ASU students.
“I didn’t even know about it,” Poyfair said. “I think if they would have spread the word a little more at the campus, I think more people would have come out.”
Reach the reporter at dbjoraas@asu.edu
