The San Jose City Council has unanimously approved a new three-year agreement with Christmas In The Park Inc. to maintain the beloved holiday event at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, with potential extensions through 2033. Despite generating nearly $20 million annually for downtown businesses, the 44-year-old event is grappling with funding issues, having faced a $100,000 shortfall last year after losing sponsors. Mayor Matt Mahan proposed evaluating alternative locations to accommodate the large crowds, but organizers express skepticism about relocating given their familiarity with the current site, while also emphasizing the urgency of addressing their budget deficit.
It's not clear yet what is solved by moving our event to another park. Christmas in the Park has an immediate need to make up our $250,000 deficit, and that has our attention.
No one should be surprised that we could look at other venues, whether downtown or elsewhere. We look forward to discussions with our city partners to better understand the short and long-term vision for downtown during the holidays.
Collection
[
|
...
]