The annual Sudbury Santa Claus Parade is kicking off with fireworks at 5:15 p.m., with floats to begin their path through downtown Sudbury at 5:30 p.m.
The Sudbury Santa Claus Parade is slated to kick off with fireworks at 5:15 p.m., followed by the parade’s slow roll down a new, longer route, through downtown Sudbury shortly thereafter.
In the early afternoon today, the southbound lanes of Notre Dame Avenue were closed to serve as a staging area for floats, which volunteers were seen guiding into position.
This year’s parade will be led by Franco-Ontarian music icon Chuck Labelle as its musical grand marshall.
“The grand marshall sets the pace for the parade. That’s a big responsibility,” he told Sudbury.com earlier this week.
“We’re the lead, so we’re the first off the line and we’ve got to create a Christmas atmosphere, with the music, with the excitement going on. … To lead it off is quite the honour. I don’t take it lightly. I’m very fortunate.”
Keeping things inclusive, Labelle is performing a bilingual set, “mixing them up just to have fun with them,” while giving people plenty of lines to sing along to.
There are 68 floats registered for this year’s parade, which will begin its path through downtown Sudbury by rolling west down Ste. Anne Road from Notre Dame Avenue.
(The parade will continue south down Elgin, east on Elm, south on Durham, east on Larch, north on Lisgar, east on Elm, and north on Notre Dame to its conclusion at Ste-Anne Road, where it started. A full map of the parade is available by clicking here.)
This year’s parade route is different from past years, with almost one kilometre of roadside viewing available this time around.
“We want to have a route that’s good for viewing for small children and everyone has an opportunity to view the parade,” Sudbury Santa Claus Parade chair Brian Howe told Sudbury.com earlier this week. “The people who participate in it put a lot of work into their floats and they deserve to be seen.”
Before the parade, YMCA of Northeast Ontario will serve hot chocolate and cookies at 140 Durham St., from 2-4 p.m.
As with every year, traffic and parking will be a concern this afternoon. Organizers have posted a map of available parking spaces (click here).
It’s best to arrive early to line up your spot along the parade route.
Meanwhile, parking will not be permitted along the parade route—Ste. Anne, Elgin, Durham, Larch, Lisgar, Elm St, and Notre Dame, and roads will be closed at 3 p.m. until one hour after the end of the parade.
This year’s theme is Christmas movies, and more information can be found on the parade’s official website by clicking here, or viewing their Facebook page by clicking here.
Sudbury.com will publish photographs of the parade tonight.
