Event organizers say the popular processional this year will have almost 250 entries from organizations that will march south on North Santa Cruz Avenue to Main Street all the way to Los Gatos High School.
Los Gatos Meats & Smokehouse owners John and Brian Chiala and daughter Jackie Rose have been named the parade's grand marshals this year.
Last year, organizers said about 20,000 people attended the event, which along with the tree-lighting ceremony tonight, represent the start of the holiday season in Los Gatos.
Carol Musser, a spokeswoman for the Los Gatos Lions Club, said about 7,000 participated in the event last year with about 12,000 in attendance.
Helping coordinate what's known as the "largest" holiday parade west of Mississippi are more than 200 volunteers from the Lions Club, the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department and the town’s Parks and Public Works Department.
Some of the organizations participating in the parade include local Cub, Girl and Boy Scouts, the Southwest YMCA, Billy Jones Railroad, racing clubs and several school bands and equestrian groups.
Musser said the celebration is funded by commercial registration fees for parade entries and advertising in the parade program, which is given to approximately 3,500 parade attendees free of charge.
The two-hour celebration will be broadcast on Los Gatos' Comcast community access station, which serves more than 10,000 cable households in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno.
Despite predicted rain on Saturday, the parade will go on just as it has for 56 years, organizers said. The town has only canceled one parade in 55 years.
To find out what streets will be closed during the parade, the parade route map and more information about the event, please see attached pdf documents.
