St. Charles Electric Christmas Parade canceled due to snowstorm

The city of St. Charles and the St. Charles Business Alliance canceled the Electric Christmas Parade planned for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 29 in downtown St. Charles due to the snowstorm that hit the area on Saturday.

While the Electric Christmas Parade is a much anticipated event each year, the city and the St. Charles Business Alliance made the difficult decision to cancel the parade, according to a press release Saturday afternoon.

Officials with the city of St. Charles and the Alliance in the press release said that after consideration and discussions with the city’s Police, Fire and Public Works departments, maintaining public safety was the foremost concern. Slippery road conditions and additional snow accumulation posed safety risks if the parade went on as scheduled, officials said.

In the release, officials said the event couldn’t be rescheduled because “parades take a lot of behind the scenes work.”

Officials in the release said they would not be able to secure the proper permits and permissions to close down a major state road for the parade by the end of the year.

The release also said that organizers can’t ensure access to the elements and floats used during the parade as well as the availability of staff and the more than 80 volunteers it takes to organize the event.

According to officials, St. Charles is still celebrating the season in a number of ways. Santa will still be at First Street Plaza every Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. until Dec. 21, the release noted. Additionally, holiday photo opportunities will be available on the plaza all season long, according to the release.