Unpermitted Vendors Threaten Future of San Jose's Christmas in the Park

Organizers of San Jose's Christmas in the Park say the annual downtown holiday celebration could lose part of its appeal this year because unpermitted vendors are crowding the surrounding streets and sidewalks. They add that they are not ready to give up on the tradition.

According to event organizers, unpermitted food vendors fill the streets every year during the winter festivities. They say the crowding makes it harder for families to get around and keeps permitted vendors from selling to park-goers.

Debbie Degutis, managing director of Christmas in the Park, said the problem has grown each year and now involves more than 40 unpermitted vendors. She said the city has declined to crack down, pointing to concerns about optics in past years. "This has been a problem for a long time," she told San José Spotlight. "But it's gone unchecked in the city of San Jose."

Earlier this week, Degutis sent a letter to the San Jose City Council asking the city to enforce its permit laws. The letter says the event has lost the vendor for Winter Wonderland, Butler Amusements, and could forfeit significant revenue normally generated by the amusement rides. The nonprofit also met last week with Councilmember Omar Torres, who represents the downtown area. Torres did not respond to a request for comment.

Winter Wonderland sits next to Christmas in the Park on Paseo de San Antonio and has offered rides and games for 23 years. Butler Amusements has said it will not come back this year unless the overcrowding improves. Annie Hermes, owner of Messenger Events, which hosts Winter Wonderland, said that without Butler there is a high likelihood the attraction will not happen, costing Christmas in the Park an estimated $55,000. "Right now, I couldn't sell it to another company," she said.

Hermes said that in past years permitted and unpermitted vendors have clashed daily, including one year when the dispute turned physical. Degutis warned that longtime permitted vendors could also leave if the situation continues, naming the hot chocolate vendor and a churro seller as part of the event's "family."

The San Jose Downtown Association, which runs the ice-skating rink, says unpermitted vendors also block access to the rink. Executive director Alex Stettinski said visitors are bothered by how many vendors there are and how close they stand to the site. "People don't feel necessarily safe or comfortable," he said. He added that the association has not yet secured a rink producer but is negotiating and believes it is on track. If that falls through, he said, the association will offer another winter activity.

Degutis and Hermes both said they are optimistic about this year's event and believe the council can find a solution. Hermes, who attended as a child and now brings her own children each year, called the tradition "part of growing up and living in San Jose."

Degutis stressed the event's accessibility, noting that admission is free. "The Google billionaire and the Google janitor have the same fun, have the same joy," she said, calling it "pretty much the only thing in San Jose that gives us that equal space for community."