The promise of cold weather and precipitation Saturday forced several North Texas cities to cancel or postpone holiday events.
The City of Mesquite was one of the first to make the call. The stage and props are set at Mesquite’s Westlake Park. But the festivities will have to wait just a bit longer. City manager Cliff Keheley said city leaders made the difficult decision to postpone the annual Christmas in the Park event, moving it from December 7-8 to the 14-15.
“With the heavier rains that we had earlier this week, we just did not have time to wait for the park to dry out and set things up and then with the forecast of rain we didn't know what we were going to get,” said Kehley. “There’s a lot of phone calls, a lot of discussions, a lot of handwringing trying to make sure we’re making the right decision.”
Mesquite was not alone in this decision. A handful of cities throughout North Texas have also postponed or canceled holiday festivals.
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- Irving’s tree Lighting, Live Music and Drone Show are postponed until Tuesday, Dec. 10.
- The city of Rowlett postponed its festival parade until Dec. 14.
- Watauga’s Hometown Holiday will now take place on Dec. 10.
Richardson’s annual Christmas Parade was also canceled. Organizers made the decision after several participants withdrew.
Keheley said scheduling vendors and city employees can be especially challenging but they’re fortunate that all but one vendor will be in attendance next week.
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“I think most people will understand that we want to put on a good quality event, and they would understand that we need to postpone it to maintain that quality,” he said.
The Dallas Holiday Parade is expected go on Saturday as planned. Organizers said it will begin at 9 a.m. rain or shine.
