Rotary Club of Naperville president Mike Calabrese says the organization made the “difficult decision” to cancel this year’s Holiday Parade of Lights for a number of reasons, many of them having to do with logistics and timing.
“It takes 200 to 250 volunteers to put the parade on. You have to get community partners who sponsor it by purchasing floats or agreeing to walk in the parade,” said Calabrese. “So getting that number of people, over a holiday weekend on Black Friday, in the cold, became more and more difficult each year as we went forward.”
That and increasing expenses for city services such as security, he says, proved to be challenging, even with the help of more than $20,000 in potential funds from a food and beverage tax meant to help fund Special Events and Community Arts – or SECA.
“We need police officers out there to keep it safe. We need city services people, putting up barricades,” said Calabrese. “SECA covers a portion of that, but never covers all of it. So the rest of it comes off the bottom line.”
A holiday tradition for more than two decades
Calabrese says the night after Thanksgiving parade in the city’s downtown has been a “fixture in Naperville for a long time.”
“Folks love holiday events, you know, to take the kids to and to take their families to,” said Calabrese.
The Holiday Parade of Lights wasn’t just about holiday hoopla. Often called a “parade with a purpose,” it also served as a fundraiser: first for Little Friends, Inc. for many years, and then for the Rotary Club starting in 2021. That’s why he hopes another organization can get on board with the responsibilities that come with organizing the event.
“Anyone who’s interested should contact us at the club, and we’d be happy to talk about transitioning if they’re willing,” said Calabrese.
Moving forward
Calabrese says the Rotary is working to organize another major fundraiser in its place.
“We’ve discussed everything from bringing back past fundraisers to, you know, entirely new territory,” said Calabrese. “So nothing is off the table in terms of what we might do as a new major fundraiser.”
In the meantime, the Rotary Club of Naperville will be giving out the proceeds from the 2025 Holiday Parade of Lights – collected from sponsors and float entry fees – to multiple charities at their March meeting.
The group will also be celebrating its 85th anniversary in April.
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