SAN MARCOS — A holiday parade in San Marcos is almost certainly off this year.
A city spokesperson said that as of Monday, the city had received no requests for a parade permit. Last spring, the Kiwanis Club of Lake San Marcos told the city it could no longer organize the long-running parade because of rising event costs.
The city met with other local nonprofit groups over the summer to find a new organizer and also considered having city staff run the parade. At its Sept. 8 meeting, the City Council said no new sponsor had come forward and declined to have staff run the 2026 parade.
The council directed staff to include the parade on the agenda for its annual goal-setting meeting in January or February and suggested moving the meeting up a few weeks to allow more time to plan a 2027 parade.
Members of the Mission Hills High School marching band and their parents spoke during public comment at the Sept. 23 City Council meeting, urging the city to take over the parade. Because the matter was not on the agenda, the City Council could not take action.
On Monday, a city spokesperson shared the following statement:
“The City of San Marcos heard strong support for giving local student bands a chance to perform and showcase their talents. While the city is not able to take on an additional holiday event this year, and no groups have offered to run the parade, the city wanted to find another way to support the bands.
“We connected with the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce and North City and are excited to share that there’s an opportunity for the students in the SMUSD bands to perform and share their talents at the chamber’s upcoming Holly Jolly Holiday Market. The city has connected the chamber with the school district to coordinate.”
