"About 800,000 people every year make a visit to Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose part of their holiday tradition. Of course, it's not to visit the "Plumed Serpent" statue or relax on a bench overlooking the Tech Interactive. No, for five weeks spanning Thanksgiving weekend to New Year's Day, the two-acre park's biggest draw for nearly 50 years has been Christmas in the Park - a kitschy and whimsical collection of animatronic displays, hundreds of decorated trees and a chance to visit with Santa himself."
"Ted Lopez, who took over in August 2025 as executive director of Christmas in the Park, said his own family has had a Christmas in the Park tradition as long as he can remember. "We always have to take a photo under the big tree," he said. "That's just a staple of the holidays for us.""
"Christmas in the Park and Plaza de Cesar Chavez seem made for each other, and it's probably difficult for anyone under the age of 50 to imagine a holiday season at the park without it (though that sadly happened during the first COVID-19 winter of 2020, prompting the creation of the drive-through event that continues today at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds)."
About 800,000 people visit Plaza de Cesar Chavez each year for Christmas in the Park, a five-week holiday attraction from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. The two-acre display features animatronic scenes, hundreds of decorated trees, and Santa appearances that have anchored a local tradition for nearly 50 years. Ted Lopez became executive director in August 2025 and described family rituals like taking photos under the big tree. The event was suspended during the first COVID-19 winter of 2020, which produced a drive-through version at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. Early incarnations appeared on Willow Street at the Lima Family mortuary (1950–1969) and on the lawn of the old San Jose City Hall in the 1970s; Don Lima donated the display to the city in 1970 and budget pressures after Prop. 13 complicated park installations in 1978.
Read at The Mercury News
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