Daria Doering

The Ocean Beach Holiday Parade was the craziest, funkiest, most homegrown thing I’ve ever seen in my life – fantastic!  Getting into OB was almost impossible, and parking was even worse.  I couldn’t find any space to park until I got at least a half mile away, and the parade had already started.  Got out of the car and started walking, then decided this was ridiculous and returned to the car.  But something in me screamed, “I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!  I WILL DO SOMETHING FUN THIS WEEKEND!  I WILL ATTEND THIS PARADE!”  So I threw my folding chair back into the car, and took off at a run.  Got there in time to see most of it.

My very favorite was “Disco Wonderland” – a huge flatbed truck with a bunch of people dressed all in white with silver glitter wigs in the back dancing disco, as the music blared!  There is just nothing like the Bee Gees!  Plus they were sending out swirls of glitter, so the entire truck and passersby were enveloped in an iridescent cloud!

Next best was the “Just Want to Be In a Parade” group.  The MC explained that this group got tired of feeling they were not as cool as those in the OB parade, so they decided to do something about that!  Thus was born the colorful lighted truck with “Just Want to Be In a Parade” signs.

And then there was the “Off-Key Choir” entry, singing horrible versions of Christmas Carols.  Only in Ocean Beach!  But I had to hand it to them.  What’s so great about being on key?  Whatever you are, go for it!

And some of the juxtapositions.  At one point I heard Irish music, and there was a bagpiper accompanied by a somewhat motley assortment of Irish dancers and musicians.  Two entries down, so the music was almost mixing but not quite, were some dancers that riveted my attention.  These gals were wearing gold glittery boots with platform heals, black tights, gold sequined booty pants, and red bustiers – bumping and grinding to a “band” playing Latin music.  Hot, hot, HOT!  Oddly, there was no indication of who they were, other than “Brazil” on a few of the band members’ yellow T-shirts.

I also appreciated, amidst several convertibles conveying teen beauty queens, “Ms. Ebers St.” – just some middle-aged mom, about like me, who decided to be queen of her street, I guess!  All right!

Some other memorable entries: Silvergate unicyclers, consisting of little kids riding unicycles, and being helped back on by walking adults if they fell off; a yoga studio whose walkers stopped periodically to do an energetic “sun salutation”: a karate studio stopping to do their supercharged routine periodically; “Noah’s Ark” consisting of a school bus with Ark-like pieces on the front and back; a collection of lighted up vintage Volkswagen bugs and vans; a group of Go-Karts with miniature car bodies on top; and much, much more.

I will go to this crazy playground for adults next year, and bring my parade-hating husband too!