Holiday events set to ‘Stroll’ into town, kick off the season
24 Nov 2023
Downtown, Quality of Life
Dalondo Moultrie The Seguin Gazette
Seguin’s population continues to grow and so, too, does its annual holiday event strolling into town next week.
“We are on the way to our largest Holiday Stroll yet,” said Kyle Kramm, the city’s Main Street and Convention and Visitors Bureau director. “We’ve got over 90 entries for the Holiday Stroll Parade on Thursday night, which will be the largest we’ve ever had.”
Thursday, Nov. 30 kicks off an annual weekend of festivities in Seguin. The city’s Holiday Stroll Parade steps off 6:30 p.m. that night at the intersection of College and North Austin streets, Parks Director Jack Jones said.
The parade will head south on Austin and meander through town until the nearly 100 floats reach the Seguin Events Complex — Coliseum, he said.
“Until a couple years ago, we used to kind of stop it in the downtown area. The parade has gotten so big now that we need to extend it down to the Coliseum,” Jones said. “This year, for example, we have about 100 entries, which is a record this year. It’s about 15 more than last year, which was a record.”
The Holiday Stroll Parade boasts floats with lighted Christmas decorations for an experience like no other he knows, Jones said. This year’s grand marshal is the Guadalupe County Fair Association, which celebrated its 140th year in existence and as many county fairs, he said.
Following the parade, which is scheduled to end about 7:30 p.m., city staff will announce winners of the parade and a Christmas-tree decorating contest in Central Park, Jones said.
Then, Mayor Donna Dodgen will do a countdown before flipping a switch to light up downtown Seguin’s Central Park with its holiday decorations.
Combined, it should make for a pretty cool evening, Jones said.
“Downtown is decorated with lights. We have our period poles and they’re lighted,” he said. “These floats that are coming down are lit and decorated. It just kind of brings in the holiday spirit right after Thanksgiving.”
The following night, the city will host about 40 chocolatiers serving hot chocolate during the annual Cocoa Sip ’N Stroll, Kramm said. Sip ’N Stroll’s 40 different cocoa offerings also represents a record number, he said.
Participants shouldn’t hesitate to purchase commemorative mugs for their cocoa, Kramm said.
“If you’re looking for a mug for Sip ’N Stroll on Friday night, they are still available for purchase at several downtown stores including Gift & Gourmet, You’re So Crafty and Father Christmas,” he said. “The night of the event, they’ll be for sale at the bandstand inside Central Park.”
Sip ’N Stroll offers city residents and guests alike a chance to explore downtown and downtown businesses and finish up holiday shopping, Kramm said. Many of the stores will offer specials along with cocoa that will be judged in a best cocoa contest, he said.
The holiday events don’t end Friday night, Kramm said.
“It is going to be a very full weekend for everybody,” he said. “On Saturday, we have the Jingle Bell 5K and the North Pole Stroll, where we have the kids’ activities in Central Park.”
North Pole Stroll is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is sure to be a family-friendly event for all in downtown Seguin. According to the city’s website, a variety of nonprofit organization will host activities for children in Central Park, including cookie decorating, letters to Santa and more.
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