Mel Webster, owner of Mel's Record Shop, joined the parade's organizing committee this year. He told the Newburyport Daily News that the holiday parade is "such an important event in the community and a big asset for local businesses."
That quote explains this year's parade. The Amesbury Holiday Parade steps off Saturday, December 5, 2026. It's still the same parade, but a different group is running it, and the cost has gone up. Last December the event lost its organizers. A committee of downtown business owners took it over. The money now comes from a run of fall fundraisers held mostly in local restaurants. Merchants also wanted the tree lit earlier, so the official tree lighting moves to the shopping season.
How a 45-minute parade ended up paying four-hour police details
The parade's website calls it a 61-year tradition. It also says, "Without additional support, this cherished community tradition may not continue." The city has never run it. Volunteers organize the parade, and donations and sponsorships pay for it. The Amesbury Chamber of Commerce has handled the Market Square tree and its lighting ceremony.
Michelle Lamott and Jessica Ducrow organized the parade for nine years. A few days after the 2025 parade, which the Daily News reported drew thousands of people to Market Square, they announced they were stepping down. Their main issue was police details. Lamott told the paper that in fall 2024 the organizers were told they'd have to pay for two officers, about $900. Detail officers are paid for at least four hours, even though the parade lasts about 45 minutes. In fall 2025 the requirement went up to four officers.
City Communications Director William Donohue explained the city's side in a statement to the paper:
"In previous years, the Amesbury Police Department (APD) was able to cover the overtime costs for officers assigned to this event within its annual budget. Under the APD union contract, personnel are not permitted to 'volunteer' their services, so the city absorbed those expenses. As budgets have tightened, this is no longer a feasible option."
Donohue said that for private events large enough to need street closures, the police department sets the level of public-safety support through the special events permit process, and organizers pay for it. Police Chief Craig Bailey said the details are only one part of the safety work. The rest includes hard barriers for pedestrians and marchers, officer overtime, and a rescue task force posted away from downtown to answer emergencies in other parts of the city. The city said it had no plans to take over the parade and hoped another group of volunteers would keep it going.
In a later Daily News feature, Ducrow said she and Lamott didn't object to paying for police coverage. "While safety was always our utmost concern, our problem was with the manner in which [the proposed cost] was presented," she said.
The budget, then and now
Ducrow told the Daily News that, along with the police detail, the organizers were paying more for insurance, permits, the Shriners and other performers. She estimated the 2025 event cost more than $10,000. For 2026, Sean Toomey, who now leads the parade, puts the cost at about $20,000. That's roughly twice as much. Part of the increase pays for barricades along the route.
| 2025 parade | 2026 parade | |
|---|---|---|
| Organizers | Michelle Lamott and Jessica Ducrow, ninth year | New committee co-chaired by Sean Toomey and Samantha Hayes |
| Estimated total cost | More than $10,000 | About $20,000 |
| Police details | Four officers required, per Lamott | Paid by organizers through the permit process |
| Tree lighting | After the parade | Official lighting around Small Business Saturday, relit after the parade |
The committee's July barbecue brought in about $5,000, a quarter of the estimate. By Toomey's figures, about $15,000 still has to come from sponsors, the November fundraisers and individual donations.
A committee made up of downtown business owners
When Lamott and Ducrow stepped down, Toomey waited for someone else to volunteer. When no one did, he took it on himself. He owns Crave Brasserie and Wine Bar and Water Street Cafe, grew up in Amesbury, and has served as the parade's grand marshal. He and his partner, Samantha Hayes, co-chair the new committee, which handles fundraising, permits, safety, advertising and marketing. Ducrow said she "couldn't have hoped for it to go to a better steward."
Toomey said the committee isn't trying to change the parade. "We have a fantastic crew this year, and we're not looking to change things," he told the Daily News. He also said the committee has a good working relationship with the police and town officials, who have "been bending over backwards to help."
The sponsor list is mostly local businesses. Gold and Silver Sponsors include Mel's Record Shop, Amesbury Chevrolet, Needham Bank, Locher Plumbing & Heating, and Zach Field Drums and Music. Webster joined the committee after earlier service on the Amesbury Days Committee and the city's School Committee.
The fall dates that raise the money
When businesses run a parade, the money gets raised at their tables and counters. Here is this season's schedule, from summer through parade night:
- July 26: Crave's "Christmas in July" barbecue, with live music, a dunk tank, raffles, cornhole and a costume contest. It raised about $5,000.
- Wednesday, November 4: Flatbread Pizza gives the parade a percentage of every purchase made that day.
- Sunday, November 22: Pictures with Santa at Water Street Cafe. As of mid-October, the parade site lists the date and says "more details coming soon."
- Around Saturday, November 28: The official Market Square tree lighting, timed to Small Business Saturday. That same day, the Chamber calendar lists "Meet the Makers" at Cider Hill Farm from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Saturday, December 5: The parade, followed by a ceremonial relighting of the tree.
For the parade, eating at Flatbread on November 4 is a donation. So are the Santa photos at Water Street Cafe.
Why the tree goes dark on parade morning
The schedule change most people will notice is the tree. Chamber Executive Director Sheila Beach told the Daily News that the Market Square tree goes up two weeks before the parade and has stayed dark until parade night. Before last season, the Chamber and the organizers had already talked about moving the lighting earlier.
This year, the Chamber and local merchants wanted the tree lit before December 5, so the official ceremony is planned for "sometime around Small Business Saturday in November," Toomey said. The tree gets turned off the morning of the parade. When the parade ends, it's relit in the square with carols, and Santa arrives.
As of mid-October, the parade site and the Daily News coverage give only that general timing for the official lighting, with no exact date or hour. The Chamber calendar is the place to check as November gets closer.
Parade night, December 5
The route hasn't changed. The parade starts at Amesbury High School, 5 Highland Street, goes through downtown, and ends at the rotary in Market Square. Families gather there for the community celebration, and Santa arrives on an Amesbury fire truck. The committee wants every group from past years to come back: Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, youth sports teams, Amesbury police and fire, local businesses, community organizations, the Shriners, and the McGann Marching Band.
Teams, troops and music groups that want to march can apply through the parade website. The site also takes donations of any amount and lists sponsorship options for businesses. Barricades are planned along the route this year to protect marchers and spectators.
At The Barnes Team, we follow the downtown events that keep Amesbury going, and this year the holiday parade depends on downtown businesses more than ever. If you're thinking about a move and want to know what your home is worth before the holidays, get your instant home valuation. You can also ask us which downtown streets are closest to the Market Square tree on December 5.
