LET IT SNOW
The Santa Claus parade will begin at Christie Pits at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
This year’s Santa Claus Parade set to be the biggest yet, with 32 floats,
The annual Santa Claus parade is coming to town and the whole city is invited. The parade will take place Sunday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. for all of those attendees hoping to start their day at a leisurely pace.
This year, parade-goers will see a mixture of sunshine and cloudy 2 C weather. The temperature will drop to -3 C that evening, but the parade will be long over by then.
The parade will start at Christie Pits at 750 Bloor St. W., travelling along Bloor St. to the Royal Ontario Museum, then moving down University Ave., turning onto Wellington St., dipping down Yonge St. to Front St. E. and ending at the St. Lawrence Market.
New to the parade this year is a giant toboggan, executive director Clay Charters said. “It’s a re-creation of a very classic winter sleigh. It’s going to be led by a very jolly elf and filled with toys and characters that will entertain children. It’s a massive feature float.”
There will also be a special Olympic float with various athletes, including wrestler Korey Jarvis, track athlete Pierce LePage, gymnast Karen Cockburn and swimmer Brittany MacLean.
“It’s our biggest parade ever,” Charters said. “We’re going to have 32 floats in the parade this year.” Last year, there were 29 floats. It takes about 2.5 hours for the whole parade to go by if you’re standing in one spot, so come prepared: dress warmly, bring snacks and colouring books to help occupy your time. Lost? No problem. On the day of the parade, you can follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to see where the parade is. For anybody in attendance with accessibility needs, the designated accessibility viewing area is on University Ave. at College St.
If taking the GO train to watch the parade, note that kids12 and under ride free on parade day, but be sure to visit the GO website for schedule details.
Although Toronto’s subway will be making all of its usual stops, there will be a largerthan-usual number of road closures and transit detours throughout the city from Bloor Sts. to Queens Quay E. To avoid getting caught in the fray, drivers can look to see if their routes are affected on the Toronto Road Closures website.
Can’t make it to the parade? It will be broadcast on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. on CTV.