DIY paradegoers stick with illegal NYE tradition in Santa Cruz

Some Central Coast residents are continuing their New Year’s Eve tradition by parading illegally despite city efforts to put regulations in place.

A large group of Santa Cruz residents said every year they gather and parade up Pacific Avenue then continue the celebration late into the night. The problem is the city requires a permit for this sort of thing, yet participants said they’ve never gone through the process.

For decades, Santa Cruz residents said they’ve proudly paraded illegally along downtown streets.

“It’s just not sanctioned but when I got here in ’82 it was just like Halloween. There wasn’t permits,” said paradegoer Whitney Wilde.

Permit or not, police still patrol to make sure things go smoothly. Participants said they’ve seen the crowd dwindle over the years and no one’s really sure why.

“It’s been 10 years and there has been no tickets for anything, no violence. It’s all been very peaceful and very respectful,” Wilde said.

About 100 people started on this New Year’s Eve at Pacific and Spruce which is a new location. They ended the parade a few blocks up from the meeting spot for a street party celebration. This year even some horses got in on the action.

“Never done it and we’ve always wanted to, it’s kind of been a little dream of ours to ride down here and they’re really used to this kind of chaos,” said paradegoer Daisy Peyton.

Peyton said it’s completely legal for horses Tahoe and Trigger to trot downtown. But they’re taking it slow this year, to make sure it’s a positive experience for everyone.

Safety concerns are a major reason the city requires a special event permit, which means an application and a $75 fee are due 60 days before the event. But this year’s paradegoers said they’re do-it-yourself approach has always worked.

“Just making sure everyone around us is safe and making sure we’re safe and we’re not putting anyone else in danger,” Peyton said.