Santa Claus touches down in Toronto this weekend for annual parade
CBC
Santa Claus is coming to town in Canada's largest city on Sunday for the return of the annual Santa Claus parade.
The parade, which features 27 floats, almost a dozen marching bands and marchers representing groups from across the city, departs from Christie Street and Bloor Street W. at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 26.
The parade's president and CEO, Clayton Charters, says many people have been working all year for the big day, from constructing floats to working with sponsors and community partners. He says the whole team is excited to share what's in store for this year.
"It's pretty special to be able to do work that makes people happy, even in a small way or for a single day," said Charters.
This year's parade will feature new floats — including those for the event's star couple, Mrs. Claus and Santa.
"We have a new Mrs. Claus float, where she's in the North Pole — sort of a command centre," he said.
Santa's float has animated reindeer and the new Mother Goose float is also one to be on the lookout for, he says.
"There is something for everyone," he said. "Everyone's going to pull away and say, 'Oh, this was my favourite.' We're gonna talk about it, debate about it … that's part of what makes it special."
For Melyssa Hollister, Toronto's Santa Claus parade has been a family affair for nearly 15 years.
Receiving the opportunity to see the parade from a special vantage point at The Hospital for Sick Children close to two decades ago moved Hollister to want to be directly involved with her own family.
"What we've done as a family is we've embraced the Santa Claus parade in every volunteer capacity," she said. Her children have been float participants and marchers, while Hollister is a lead marshal this year, making sure all participants are having a good experience on route.
She says marching down hospital row past SickKids is still always the most meaningful.
"We're waving to those kids who are in the windows and can't come down," she said.
Out of the streets, the parade means a lot to partners and businesses, said Charters.
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