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San Gabriel staff preview holiday tree lighting and Taste of San Gabriel; Dia de los Muertos drew roughly 400
Summary
Staff reviewed logistics for the holiday tree lighting and Taste of San Gabriel, listed eight confirmed vendors and described performance lineups; staff also recapped the Nov. 7 Dia de los Muertos event and a donated drone show.
City staff reviewed upcoming holiday events and recapped recent cultural programming at the Community Services Commission meeting on Dec. 1.
Assistant Director Matthew Ronald Stevens outlined the Taste of San Gabriel vendor list and reported staff outreach efforts. “We have a total of 8 including El Paavo,” Stevens said, later noting that El Paavo will donate between 1,000 to 1,500 mini conchas to distribute free to the public. Stevens told commissioners that staff did door‑to‑door outreach to vendors to understand barriers to repeat participation and that some vendors reported foot traffic that did not translate into sales because competing vendors sold similar items at lower prices.
On the holiday tree lighting, Stevens said the event is scheduled at Plaza Park on Mission Drive and that time‑slot registration this year was intended to reduce lines. He said Santa and trackless-train slots are full and staff will review duplicate registrations to move people off the wait list where possible.
Commissioners raised concerns about sight lines and sound for performances near the Mission Rectory. One commissioner said the crowd can be four to five rows deep, making visibility difficult; Stevens responded, “Audio, we can definitely fix for this year,” and said stage relocation is not feasible this year but could be explored for future years.
Staff also recapped Dia de los Muertos, held Nov. 7 at the Mission Playhouse, and reported about 400 attendees. Stevens described a last‑minute technical request from one group that required staff to reconfigure stage mics and equipment; he praised Playhouse staff for handling the change and said the drone show — part of the celebration and Breast Cancer Awareness Month — was donated by Grizzly Entertainment.
Why it matters: the transfer from event planning to execution affects vendors, performers and residents who attend city events; staff said they will continue to gather vendor feedback to improve revenue outcomes for participants.
Next steps: staff will monitor vendor feedback after the Taste of San Gabriel to assess whether the event should be continued or altered, and will look into audio and staging options for future tree lightings.
