Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade

Saturday, December 6, 2025 – 5:45 p.m.

Get ready for a dazzling holiday celebration on the world-famous Palm Canyon Drive for
the City's signature holiday event, the 33rd Annual Palm Springs Festival of Lights
Parade on Saturday, Dec. 6. This glittering event will light up Downtown Palm Springs
at 5:45 p.m. sharp, so mark your calendars! Adding to the magic this year, the parade
will feature a special kickoff 50th Anniversary Sunrise Park float, honoring a beloved
community landmark and five decades of Palm Springs tradition.
This year's start studded lineup of Grand Marshals is one you don't want to miss: Palm
Springs High School graduate Jada McLean, our hometown sweetheart
turned "America's Sweetheart" who stars in the wildly popular Netflix show about
the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. McLean fought and won a 400% pay increase for the
squad! Plus, Palm Springs part-time resident Scheana Shay, the star of Bravo-TV
favorite Vanderpump Rules and NYT Bestselling author, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Matt
Sorum, of Guns 'N Roses, actress, part-time resident Mädchen Amick, best known for
her role in "Riverdale", and local icon Nelda Linsk, our First Lady of Modernism Week
famously immortalized in the iconic Slim Aarons photograph "Poolside Gossip." Plus,
Grammy Award-winning singer Thelma Houston will join the parade as a Special
Guest Star, adding extraordinary star power to this year's celebration.

This is the parade you don't want to miss. Picture dazzling floats twinkling with holiday
magic, marching bands from Portland, Oregon, Arizona, Napa, and throughout Southern
California, plus giant inflatable balloons of beloved characters like Smurfette, Daniel
Tiger, the Cat in the Hat, and Mr. Potato Head. Kids will cheer as favorites like The
Smurfs, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Arthur and Friends come to life, topped off with a very
special visit from Santa Claus himself!
Special performances include: The Changels Choir from Adopt the Arts, the Coachella
Valley High School EXP Dancers, the Cathedral City High School Ballet Folklorico, and
even more marching bands bringing extra sparkle and sound to the celebration.
And for those who can't make it in person, you can catch all the action live on NBC Palm
Springs with a special appearance by the beloved "Full House" actor, singer and
producer John Stamos starting at 6 p.m.