Holiday Parade and Market

Santa came down First Street in an Army Jeep on Saturday, December 13, 2025, handing out candy canes to people bundled in sweaters, beanies and Santa hats. It was 42 degrees that morning, and hundreds lined the street anyway. “Who in their right mind would have come out today?” said Gretchen Burgess, one of them, with a laugh. “If it did rain, it would have turned to snow.”

First Street, D to H

The parade steps off at 10 a.m. at First and D Streets and ends at H Street. Benicia Main Street, the downtown nonprofit that produces it, lists local marching bands, dancers, the police department, the fire department and Santa Claus in the line of march.

In 2025 the Benicia Girl Scouts walked, along with Food is Free Bay Area and the cheer teams and marching bands of Benicia Middle and High School. Dave and Marge Lopez walked with St. Dominic’s Catholic Church. Before the start, Mike and Kimmy Leahy decorated their 1936 Super 8 Packard for the route. Mrs. Claus rode that year too. “My favorite part is seeing the kids so excited,” said Christina Strawbridge, president of the Benicia Main Street board of directors. The parade came to a halt outside SIPS Bottle Emporium.

Tents along First Street

From the end of the parade the crowd turned to the holiday market, which runs until 3 p.m. Rows of tents along First Street sell handcrafted arts and crafts, gourmet items and food. In 2025 the Times-Herald found everything from scarves to hot chocolate.

Merchants decorate their stores for the holidays, and some hold events of their own during the market. In 2025 The Vortex held a silent disco around First and C Streets from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Inn at Benicia Bay, on D Street just off First, hosted Santa from 11 to 2.

“We do the holiday market to keep people down here after the parade,” Strawbridge said. “It’s good for our businesses.” Burgess said it her own way: “There’s no smaller business than those businesses down there.”

Thirty-one years of parades

The 2025 parade and market marked the 31st straight year that Benicia Main Street had hosted them. The organization is older than the parade. It was founded in 1987 as the city’s downtown revitalization project, charged with keeping up the historic ten-block district beside the waterfront. Its calendar also carries the 3rd of July Torchlight Parade, Halloween activities and a Holiday Open House.

Strawbridge describes the parade crowd as “the staples that usually want to come out and then some new folks.” Laurie Wachob, the executive director, watched the 2025 crowd go by. “I think little community events like this just bring everybody together,” she said. “I saw a lot of smiles, a lot of laughter and a lot of fun.”

The organization’s office and visitor center are in the Southern Pacific Depot at 90 First Street, at the foot of the street near the water. There it sells maps of the city’s historical sites and runs a See’s Candies store year-round as a fundraiser.