Contest winner receives hot air balloon ride
Many people rang in the new year just a little bit late on Jan. 11 at the Glendale Glitter & Glow Block Party in downtown Glendale.
The block party, in its 19th year, attracted 90,000 people with 20 hot air balloons, 10 bands, 1½ million lights and fabulous weather.
Glendale’s Glitter & Glow Block Party was the conclusion to the city’s seven-week holiday lighting program, and is the most highly attended event in a single evening.
Glendale’s Office of Special Events created a special social media contest to promote Glendale Glitters’ entire season, running from opening weekend on Nov. 29 through the block party on Jan. 11, and received a record-breaking entry total of 5,200.
Valley resident Susana Molina was the winner, receiving a hot air balloon ride from Hot Air Expeditions, as well as dinner for two from a favorite downtown Glendale restaurant, The Spicery.
“This year’s block party was one of largest-attended events in the history of Glendale’s downtown festivals,” said Jerry McCoy, deputy director of Glendale’s Communications Department.
“In speaking with downtown merchants before, during and after the event, many reported they rely on the economic vitality that the Glendale Glitters festival season, as well as the Glendale Chocolate Affaire in February, generates for a significant amount of their entire annual sales.
“And, we know through research that new businesses locate here and event attendees come back and visit our city center and other parts of Glendale as a result of the city’s festivals. So, these events serve as great economic generators, as well as advertising days, for not only downtown, but our entire city.
“In addition, our visitors center was swamped with calls from both out-of-state visitors and in-state residents — who had never been to our city before — asking for directions and other information about our closing Glendale Glitters event (last weekend). It amazes me that, after two decades of producing these festivals, there are still a lot of people who are discovering Glendale for the very first time as a result of Glendale Glitters and our three-day chocolate event.”
The annual Glendale Chocolate Affaire is the next city-hosted festival and will be the weekend before Valentine’s Day, Feb. 7-9, from 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The event is located in Murphy Park, located at 58th and Glendale avenues. Chocolate purveyors from Arizona and around the nation gather in Glendale for this award-winning festival, which celebrates chocolate, romance and the arts.
Chocolatiers will create confections such as chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate-drizzled kettle corn, chocolate-covered nuts, berry chocolate kabobs, fudge popsicles, chocolate covered cheesecake and bananas and much more.
Additionally, over the years the festival has become the largest gathering of national romance novelists in the Southwest.
For more information on Glendale’s festivals, call the Special Events hotline at 623-930-2299 or visitwww.glendaleaz.com/events.
