2023 Sights & Sounds of Christmas Festival reaches out for weekend volunteers
For those who might have a talent for making cotton candy, hot cocoa and campfire biscuits, the Sights & Sounds of Christmas Festival wants you.
From Thursday, Dec. 7 to Sunday, Dec. 9, organizers said there is a great need for volunteers.
Sights & Sounds is looking for enthusiastic individuals and organizations to help during both the festival or Jingle Bell Run, doing everything from manning the gate to making treats.
For many in this community, Sights & Sounds of Christmas is a beloved San Marcos holiday tradition, and its success is dependent entirely on volunteer support.
Officials of the festival said that last week’s volunteer turnout was less than optimal and are really hoping to get more for this coming weekend.
The festival is a project of the Sights & Sounds Foundation, a 501c(3) charity. A primary mission of the organization is the planning and executing of the Sights & Sounds of Christmas Festival each year. The festival is a gift to the children of San Marcos, where their entry is free, along with available free activities and gifts, organizers said.
Sights & Sounds of Christmas has helped other local area non-profits and charities raise in excess of $300,000 in revenue the last three years through direct sales to the community.
Sights and Sounds Volunteer Coordinator Matthew Mendoza, also a San Marcos city council member, said he’s been going to the festival for 37 years now and knew he needed to step up to help when it was in need of volunteers. He said volunteering his time to Sights and Sounds has been a great way to kick off the holiday season.
“It is nonstop fun really,” Mendoza said. “We’re moving around all of the time. We’re meeting all different kinds of individuals, which is fantastic because you can really see how diverse our neighborhoods are.”
Krystal Gomez, a local and a regular volunteer at the festival, said she was born and raised in San Marcos and remembers when it was on the square.
“It’s one of my favorite San Marcos traditions,” Gomez said. “My husband and I even volunteered when we were dating through Medical Explorers [a Texas State student organization meant to increase awareness of health related careers], and now it’s so neat to see my kids volunteering. It’s kind of come full circle for our family.”
Mendoza said the festival is run by people that do everything they can to make Christmas magical. Sights & Sounds is a distinctly San Marcos tradition that can only function with the help of volunteers, and Mendoza finds it deeply nostalgic and said it’s a valuable resource for the community.
“It’s really San Marcos,” Mendoza said. “You get to see our culture and our people. Our love and our compassion.”
Gomez said duties for a volunteer will vary depending on the position given, of which there are many: stage assistants, check in assistants, manning the gates and assisting in the scavenger hunt. She said she even had a friend participate in a candle-making booth.
“I worked everything from first aid to the drink station,” Gomez said. “There’s something for everyone. If you really like meeting people and talking to people that you haven’t seen since the last time you were at Sights & Sounds, the stations that have food are a great place to talk to people and reconnect– that’s one of the things that I love. But if you’re more of a quiet [person] … There’s things you can do away from the crowd as well.”
Mendoza said it’s important to remember how impactful Sights & Sounds is for this community.
“We need volunteers because this is for our citizens,” Mendoza said. “Where else can you go for five to seven dollars at entrance to be able to enjoy—I hate to be cheesy about it but–a winter wonderland … … Volunteering makes this happen. It may not feel important, but [being] out there baking the biscuits [and] serving the drinks, brings community out there.”
According to Sights & Sounds spokesperson Brian Olson, “The first week has come and gone and we have three days left to attend the 2024 festival,” and that includes volunteering.
Visitors and volunteers alike can enjoy the 1,000,000 Christmas lights, carnival attractions, as well as a variety of food and entertainment. Olsen emphasized that Sights & Sounds is “the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season not only being a spectator but also volunteering.”
In addition to the festival, Sights & Sounds hosts the annual Santa’s Jingle Bell Run 5K & Kids 1K on Saturday, Dec. 9. This is the largest 5k fun run in Hays County and runs through the San Marcos downtown.
Sign up to help keep the Christmas Spirit alive in San Marcos at this link signupgenius.com/go/ sights-sounds-2023#/ .
