The 2025 Cottonwood Christmas Parade, run by the Greater Verde Valley Chamber of Commerce, is taking place at the Verde Valley Fairgrounds, 800 E. Cherry St. with free parking for spectators on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the catch that the floats will not be shifting into drive but remain stationary allowing spectators to walk past them with the flair of walking a living exhibit.
“This is our 71st year, and we’re keeping the parade phrasing, because when somebody’s looking for parade information, then they can find it,” Chamber Director of Operations Andrea Schultz said. “We understand that it’s not technically a parade, but this way folks know what they’re looking for and they can find this information. My biggest fear is somebody camped out on Main Street, waiting for the parade to come through.”
Because of road work on Main Street from Walgreens to 10th Street, “that’s about 50% of our normal parade route,” Schultz continued. “We have considered every other option that there is.”
Cottonwood City Manager Mario Cifuentez II and his wife Michelle are serving as the 2025 grand marshals,
and this year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World.”
“It’s a great honor,” Cifuentez said. “Even before I was offered the [city manager] position, I researched the community and learned what a storied event it is. … The community loves the parade, which is why it was such a difficult decision for the chamber to make changes this year. Unfortunately, the improvements on Main Street made it necessary.”
New for 2025 is a Community Choice award allowing residents to vote on their favorite entry along with a judges’ Choice and Best in Show awards.
Several food trucks will be serving an eclectic range of Mexican food, hot dogs and coffee. For those wanting to get their holiday shopping in and support local business — the Christmas Bazaar will be setup with a wide selection of crafts and wares.
“Because of the nature of this version of the event, we should have a little bit of extra room for parking that we don’t necessarily always have, so I don’t anticipate [parking capacity] being an issue,” Schultz said.
Santa Claus has confirmed to THE JOURNAL that he will once again be able to delegate some of his preflight duties to his helpers, allowing him to be at the event with his booth in the kids’ park for all the good boys and girls of the Verde Valley to get their photos taken with him.
“Personally, I want to see more community engagement,” Cifuentez said is what he will ask Santa for this year. “We already have a very involved community, but there’s always room for more. We’re working on outreach efforts — by the end of the year, we hope to release a council recap after each meeting to share key points with the public. The greatest reward for me would be seeing more residents actively involved in the community and serving on commissions, where we often struggle to get applicants.”
Following the parade the 32nd annual Old Town Chocolate Walk also takes place from 3 to 7 p.m. This ticketed event allows attendees to enjoy handcrafted chocolates at participating businesses in Old Town.
“We encourage everyone to dress warmly and bring their holiday spirit as we come together to celebrate the season in a new way,” a chamber press release reads. “We look forward to seeing you there and sharing the joy of the holidays with our wonderful community.”
“We have the Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Cottonwood Community Clubhouse,” Parks, Recreation & Library Director Jak Teel said. “On top of the Cottonwood Community Clubhouse, we have an electronic Christmas tree that we light up every year. … The mayor will come out, give an introduction to the community, and then turn on that Christmas tree to really signify that we’re moving forward into that holiday season and wishing everybody the best.”
For more information contact the Greater Verde Valley Chamber of Commerce at info@cottonwoodchamberaz.org or (928) 634-7593.
