Every year, over 400,000 people line the blocks of Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, MN to celebrate the season’s most exciting event: the Holidazzle parade. Since 1992, spectators have traveled into the city, bundled up in coats and blankets, to watch the half-hour procession of spectacular illuminated floats. Now, the Minneapolis Downtown Council has bigger hopes for the historical city, and feel that the Holidazzle has run its course. This event, however, is close to the hearts of many, and it should not be discontinued. Urge the Minneapolis Downtown Council to preserve the Holidazzle parade.

Though the council does not cite money issues, nor does it claim that the Holidazzle is losing popularity, the Vice President of Events and Marketing, Leah Wong, says it is time to ”re-imagine the holiday experience downtown.” While they have not proposed a specific alternative, they claim that the 2014 celebration will look different from what Minnesotans have come to know and love, and that the parade will be replaced with features designed to attract visitors in every season, 365 days a year.

But this is just the problem. The Holidazzle gathers an enormous crowd not just because it is exciting, vibrant, and grand, but because it is a seasonal celebration. No number of year-round attractions could possibly manage to create the joyful and celebratory atmosphere that brings together so many people to share in one very special occasion that only comes once a year.

Many have also expressed pride in the event because it sets their city apart. “It makes the downtown feel a little more like a small town,” claimed resident Annie Brenner, describing the event as “homey.” In addition to its charm, the parade brings business to local restaurants, many of which book tables months in advance to accommodate the crowds who hope to have a window seat near the avenue.

There are many reasons to save the Holidazzle parade, and no reasonable excuse to change or discontinue it after 2013. Urge Leah Wong and the Minneapolis Downtown Council to reconsider their decision to end one of Minnesota’s greatest festivities.