There was no Santa parachuting from a plane this morning in Flagler Beach and there will be no Santa on a firetruck this evening in Palm Coast’s Town center as grayly grinchy weather forced both cities to cancel their holiday parades. For Palm Coast, it is the fifth time in six years that the Starlight Parade has had to be cancelled, with 2024 the only year in that span when it was held without a hitch.
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville was forecasting a 30 percent chance of showers in Palm Coast this evening, with wind gusts of up to 22 miles per hour.
Flagler Beach announced it had cancelled its Holiday at the Beach Parade, sponsored by the Flagler Beach Rotary Club, around 11:30 a.m. The parade of some 35 to 40 floats was scheduled for 1 p.m. Santa managed to evade weather’s spoilers to be present at City Hall between 2 and 4 for pictures.
“Yes, unfortunately we had to cancel the parade today due to inclement weather,” Flagler Beach Rotary President Bob Snyder said. “Our parade committee that includes members of the Rotary Club of Flagler Beach and Police Chief Matt Doughney huddled with the county’s chief meteorologist, Bob Pickering, at 11:30 am and assessed the situation. The fog, rain and slick roads were a safety concern. And, crowds that usually begin to appear by late morning were nonexistent. We do not have a ‘rain date,’ so no plans to reschedule. Also, the weather and low crowd cover inhibited Santa’s plans to parachute in from the North Pole onto the beach. So, we look forward to next year and wish everyone a happy holiday and a Merry Christmas.”
Palm Coast announced the cancellation of the often weather- and pandemic-plagued Starlight Parade in early afternoon, saying in a release that it was “due to a forecast of heavy rain and potentially hazardous weather conditions. The latest reports indicate reduced visibility is likely along the parade route, creating unsafe conditions for parade floats, walkers, first responders, and spectators.” Due to pre-planned staffing, road closures and other holiday events already scheduled, the Starlight Parade will not be rescheduled. Nor will the Flagler Beach parade. The parade was to have 64 floats, and was the culmination of months of work.
“It’s very difficult to cancel an event, especially of this magnitude,” Palm Coast Communications Director Brittany Kershaw said. “In addition to disappointing all of the parade participants and the community at large, it takes a toll on staff as well since we’ve been planning for the better part of six months and we’ve had staff in the field all week and even as early as 7 a.m. today getting everything ready. I think leadership has to make the best decision they can with the information they have at the time in order to keep safety the top priority.”
Palm Coast had to cancel the Starlight Parade due to Covid in 2020. The following two years, the city hosted a stationary parade to minimize safety concerns from the pandemic, and in 2023, two days before the return of the actual parade, the city again had to cancel because of an advancing bad weather front. The city was traumatized in 2013 by the so-called Starlight Tornado, which ripped through the northern part of town just as the parade was under way. It was called off. No one was injured. In 2019, a tornado touched down in Flagler County and Flagler Beach the night before the Starlight Parade.
Fantasy Lights and a selection of local food trucks will still be in Central Park this afternoon and evening. Residents are welcome to stop by to enjoy the light displays presented by the Rotary Club of Flagler County and support local vendors as conditions allow. The city’s 42nd Annual Holiday Boat Parade, previously an event organized by the Palm Coast yacht Club, is scheduled for next Saturday, Dec. 13, along the Intracoastal Waterway.
Palm Coast’s release states that planning for the 2026 Starlight Parade is already underway, and the City looks forward to welcoming residents and visitors back to this beloved event next year.
Diana McLemore says
Just to be clear, Bob Pickering, is not a meteorologist.