Student pulls festive float along University Avenue in last year’s May Fete Parade. This year, Palo Alto residents are expecting an even more vibrant display as the parade celebrates its centennial milestone. According to LeDrew, there are fun activities planned for people to look forward to. “We’re gonna have some special things,” LeDrew said. “I don’t want to giveaway the surprise so folks can enjoy that, but it’s gonna be a great fun day here in Palo Alto.”

Palo Alto residents are preparing for the hundredth May Fete Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday at Heritage Park.

This year’s event, themed “Celebrate 100,” will feature floats, local school bands and a post-parade fair at Heritage Park.

The May Fete Parade, a notable Palo Alto tradition since 1924, invites residents to showcase their creativity, bringing together the Palo Alto community.

Palo Alto Recreational Coordinator Lance LeDrew said this year will have more attendees from different organizations.

“This year we’ve had more participants than we’ve had in quite a lot of previous years,” LeDrew said. “We’ve got 55 people from eight organizations this year.”

Parade organizers are enhancing this year’s festivities with a display of a century’s worth of parade photographs. Additionally, they’re introducing a time capsule to capture the essence of 2024, which will be reopened in 15 years.

“People can stop by and we’re going to take their fingerprints,” LeDrew said. “We’re going to add it to the outside of the time capsule. We are also going to have a few other surprises.”

Sophomore band member Omkar Perinkulam has performed in the parade for a few years and said it is a fun experience.

“I enjoyed playing and learning how to march in the parade,” Perinkulam said. “It’s a lot of fun to just perform.”

However, performing in the parade is not easy according to sophomore band member Alli Katila-Miikkulainen, as it requires almost a month of practice to prepare and is exhausting.

“Marching is more tiring than it looks because by the end of practice we have marched more than a mile while blowing, especially for people who carry heavy instruments,” Katila-Miikkulainen said. “Sometimes I feel like marching is more exercise than running.”

Regardless of the effort and time needed for practice, Katila-Miikkulainen said the parade is an exciting event for band members.

“It will be very fun to show our hard work to the community, especially because it is a different audience than we usually play for,” Katila-Miikkulainen said.

According to LeDrew, the May Fete Parade is a long-standing community event that really demonstrates Palo Alto’s commitment to youth, the well being and the belonging to the community.

“What is a better way to show the youth we care than to put them in a parade and let them celebrate what Palo Alto means to them,” LeDrew said.

The May Fete Parade, marking a century of Palo Alto tradition, welcomes all to enjoy the festivities at 10 a.m. on University Avenue.