London's Santa Claus Parade returns to Dundas Street Saturday
CBC
The jolly ol' man in red will be in London this weekend as the annual Santa Claus Parade returns to Dundas Street.
Following a drive-thru format at the airport last year because of the pandemic, this time Londoners will be able to get a spot along the parade route to take in the sights and sounds of the creative floats. The theme is cartoon Christmas.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. Saturday and is expected to take about one and a half hours for the floats and Santa Claus to travel west along Dundas Street from Egerton Street to Ridout Street.
"We're all excited about it," said Shaun Merton, the parade's executive director. "I think bringing that excitement back to London, I think it's a big deal and I think people really need something to brighten it up a little bit."
The Santa Claus Parade will feature a number of musical acts, including Bobnoxious, the Golden Harps Steel Orchestra, the Western Marching Band and the Tianguo Marching Band from Toronto. There will also be upwards of 20 floats from local businesses and organizations, an antique fire truck and llamas.
Non-perishable food donations will be collected during the parade in memory of Bill Paul, London's town crier who passed away this year.
A Toonie toss will also be happening to raise funds for the parade and local charities.
All parade participants will be required to wear a mask and complete the province's COVID-19 screening before attending the event.
"Our bands, entries and everything have guidelines that they have to follow," said Merton. "It's just like any other venue with COVID."
For those who can't make it downtown for the parade, it will also be streamed online starting at 6:45 p.m.:
After walking a few laps around the shop, Maria Castagna picks up a glass ornament in the form of a pink, sparkly ice cream cone and smiles widely.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham says he has much unfinished work from his first term in office, as he prepares to make his pitch to voters ahead of the 2026 election.
Moving to Canada from Singapore meant losing close social connections for Iris Akbar, but Akbar says the gift was in finding an affirming space with friends that became like family.
Women and children staying at Regina Transition House now have access to Santa’s workshop — a safe space where mothers can choose Christmas gifts for their children.
A man from Powell River, B.C., is thankful to be alive after a stranger helped him while he was choking at a restaurant during a visit to Whistler.
When it comes to Hamilton readers' favourite library books of 2025, romance and mysteries are in close competition.
From the Detroit Lions losing to Apple iPhones that spontaneously update, Windsorites had things that bugged them this year.
Calgary emergency rooms are “in a state of critical overcapacity” ahead of the anticipated peak of flu season — and to cope with the surge and wait-room crowding, officials are urging doctors to speed up their decisions on whether to admit patients, according to a memo obtained by CBC News.
Northern Ontario's highway system needs improvements in order to make travel safer, a highway safety advocate said.
Hundreds of thousands of used tires are piling up across Ontario as some companies responsible for tire recycling have stopped processing tires amid reduced provincial recycling regulations for tire producers, industry experts say.
People in Guelph facing homelessness will soon have a new place to go during the day.
Islanders are reminded to plan their rides ahead of holiday festivities if they plan on drinking alcohol or using cannabis.
Even before Gwen Healey Akearok began her new role as Nunavut’s Minister of Family Services, she was tuning into the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) hearings on the state of the Family Services department.