While the city of Turlock continues to grow — becoming home to a 1.1 million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center and popular eateries like Dave’s Hot Chicken — it’s still a small town at heart. One of the best ways to see Turlock’s small-town roots in action is at one of the upcoming holiday events.
Turlock will get into the holiday spirit with the annual Festival of Lights starting at 5 p.m. Nov. 28. This event is the city’s official tree lighting ceremony, and will feature almost 200 vendors, live entertainment and a drone show.
“It is definitely something that will bring joy to your heart,” said Downtown Turlock director Travis Regalo about the festival. “We hear it every year that when people come to it, they say ‘Wow. This is the first time in a long time that I felt a sense of community.’”
The official tree lighting will happen at 6:30 p.m. in Central Park at the corner of Main Street and Golden State Boulevard, but vendors and live entertainment on every street corner will start at 5 p.m. Regalo said there are almost three times as many vendors scheduled for this year’s event compared to last year and they include many unique artisans.
A drone show is set to begin at 8:30 p.m. The best viewing area for the show is on Center Street between Main Street and Olive Avenue.
Regalo said this event wouldn’t be possible without the community and business partners including the City of Turlock, Turlock Dental Care, Vail Creek Jewelry Designs, Zapien Electric, The Udder Place, Valley Air Board, Seeger’s Printing, Stigler Home, Stigler Mortgage, CUTS Steakhouse, La Primera and TID.
“We’re able to do these events for free for the community only because these sponsors come in from our community,” he said.
The holiday festivity will continue on Dec. 5 with the 46th annual Turlock Downtown Christmas Parade. This year’s theme is Gingerbread Dreamland.
The parade will start at 6:30 p.m. and start at E. Main Street and Canal Drive and make its way west down Main Street and then turn north on Broadway towards the fairgrounds.
The parade will feature dozens of lighted entries from local businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations and, of course, a visit from Santa Claus.
