Decorating Registration & Contest
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HOW TO ENTER?
Send an email to CSD@cityofpaloalto.org he subject line should be "May Fete 2021 Entry" In the body of the message please include your name and address. We will use this information to add you to an interactive map. Or, you can Visit our registration site to sign up! Need help registering? Give us a call, 650.463.4949. We are available to help, weekdays, from 8:30am-5:30pm. What is a "Reverse Parade"? A reverse parade is when the displays are stationary and the spectators drive around to view them! We're excited to bring May Fete 2021 back as a reverse parade and look forward to seeing the diversity of our Wonderful World in the coming weeks. For a full map of all our decorated houses, please click here! After having visited the displays on the route, click here to vote for your favorite display! ZERO WASTE EVENT GUIDELINES The City of Palo Alto has the goal of Zero Waste (no waste burned or buried) by 2021. In an effort to achieve this goal, the City requires that all special events practice waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting measures. Balloons are also not permissible per Zero Waste Event Guidelines. |
PALO ALTO RECREATION FOUNDATION CONTEST
Show off your creativity this year by entering your display! Displays will be judged during the week of May 1-May 8. Judging criteria includes overall theme incorporation (What A Wonderful World), public appeal, craftsmanship, proportions, animation and/or special effects, and ingenuity. Winners will be announced the week of May 10th. The winner will be contacted via email and photos of the winning displays will be posted on our Instagram and Facebook.
For more information about the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation, please click here. |
Want to participate but unsure of where to start? We’ve come up with just a few ideas to help you get started.
- Let’s start with the age-old tradition of the May Pole! Decorate a pole in your front yard with streamers and let the kids run of some steam around the pole enjoying the sunshine and beauty of the area.
- Our co-sponsor The Palo Alto Museum would love to see something from the past show up in your decorations. How about decorate your house for the period it was built or dress up your pets and children in period costume.
- Share your enthusiasm, put out a sign stating when was the first May Fete Parade you attended or participated in. I bet there are some people who have been part of this tradition for years! A limited number of signs are available at the City, or you can download the artwork.
- Video your furry friends and send us a photo of their costume. We love to show our pets off!
- Use the lyrics of the song “What a Wonderful World” to help generate ideas. Make rainbows, clouds, show friends together. Things are opening again, share your dreams for the future.
- Showcase your love for returning to school with your friends. Use the mascot, T shirts, colors, and schoolbooks!
- How about all those sports you’ve missed. Decorate with team colors, pitches etc. Celebrate the love of the game.
- Bikes with streamers, flowers and treats have always been a feature of the parade! Remember riding down University Avenue proudly showing your design? Make it colorful and wonderful.
- What famous person from Palo Alto has been an inspiration to you? Historical figures like Lucie Stern, Herbert Hoover or Hewlett & Packard show our history. How about more recent celebrities like Joan Baez, Ken Kesey, Steve Jobs and Jeremy Lin. So many people in Palo Alto have changed the world with their work. Let’s honor them and what they’ve done.
- As we are recovering from the yearlong lockdown, show your appreciation for our first responders by celebrating their unwavering dedication to the health and well being of our community. Doctors, nurses, EMT’s, police, ambulance drivers and don’t forget all the stores that stayed open for you. They have protected you, now show how much you appreciate it.
