Toronto’s Original Santa Claus Parade celebrates 120 years of good cheer
TORONTO, October 29, 2024 – Now that Halloween is behind us, guess what is just around the corner. That’s right! The beloved Original Santa Claus Parade, celebrating its very special 120th anniversary, will usher in the festive season on Sunday November 24, 2024, spreading holiday cheer to Toronto city streets.
“The magic and wonder of the season has always been about bringing people together from all across the city, and beyond,” said Clay Charters, president and CEO, the Original Santa Claus Parade. “Along with an updated route, we have some new and exciting activities planned to make this year’s Parade extra special.”
Each year, upwards of 750,000 attendees of all ages, backgrounds and faiths, line up along the Parade route. For generations upon generations, this is a long-standing annual family tradition and for many newcomers, this is a must-attend event to experience Canada and Toronto at its best during the holidays.
The 120th anniversary edition of the Parade will feature 26 spectacular, hand-crafted floats, dynamic marchers, bands, the ever-popular Celebrity Clowns, and the return of Toronto Caribbean Carnival, PRIDE Toronto, the Chinese Consulate and the Indigenous Creation Story floats.
What’s new for this year’s Original Santa Claus Parade?
An updated Parade route for 2024:
The 2.5-hour Parade will start at 12:30 pm at Christie Pits, located at 750 Bloor Street West. The updated route will proceed east along Bloor Street to St. George Street, continue south on St. George, east on Hoskin Avenue, south on Queens Park Crescent and University Avenue, east on Wellington Street, and south again on Yonge Street to Front Street. From there, the Parade will head east on Front Street and finish at the St. Lawrence Market at Jarvis Street.
The Milk and Cookies Zone:
Sponsored by Circle K, beginning at 10:00 am at Christie Pits, fans can partake in a host of free, fun activities before the Parade begins. These include: Dancing with a hype squad, writing letters to Santa and enjoying milk and cookies, along with coffee and hot chocolate sponsored by Tim Hortons.
Special appearance by Emma Memma:
Former Wiggles star and beloved children’s entertainer Emma Watkins will debut her new preschool brand Emma Memma. Empowering the next generation through creativity, movement, friendship, and inclusiveness, Emma Memma will make her Canadian premiere, performing and conducting a meet and greet at the Milk and Cookies Zone before greeting Parade-goers on a special float.
New floats to watch for:
Newly designed, hand painted floats debuting this year include CIBC (celebrating 40 years of Miracle Day), Fitzrovia, LEGO (marking the 25th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars), McCain, Metro, McDonald’s and Tim Hortons.
Live, interactive YouTube broadcast:
In place of a post-event television broadcast, this year, for the first time, the Parade will be livestreamed online via YouTube. Details for the livestream will be released in the coming weeks. This will enable fans to interact and enjoy the festivities from wherever they are, be it along the Parade route, at home, across Canada or around the globe
Official and exclusive Parade merchandise from Peace Collective:
The coveted Parade toque that has previously been reserved for volunteers are now available for fans to purchase. The full assortment of official merchandise for sale is available through Peace Collective beginning on November 7.
Red Nose Drive
A favourite initiative returning this year is the Red Nose Drive, a fundraiser in support of the Parade and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. The Cadets will be selling fun Rudolph-inspired red noses for $3.00 at Union Station in advance of the Parade and along the Parade Route and at TTC stations across the city on Parade day.
Holly Jolly Fun Run
The highly-anticipated 5km Holly Jolly Fun Run, which is expected to draw more than 1,500 participants begins at 11:45 am and will lead the Parade, energizing fans along the route. Proceeds raised from the run will directly support the Parade.
“We want to offer our gratitude to our loyal corporate sponsors and Parade heroes because their funds are what makes this event a reality year after year,” said Charters. “We still have corporate sponsorship opportunities available, and we are asking additional organizations to come forward so we can keep this treasured Parade going, as it has been for over a century.”
Charters explained that with growing inflationary and operational costs, combined with recent widespread corporate budget reductions, the Parade is facing constraints and will require additional sponsorship for next year.
Corporate Sponsors
This year’s corporate sponsors include: 98.1 CHFI, Ambient Mechanical, Canadian Tire Ltd., Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Casa Loma, CIBC, Circle K, Desjardins, Fitzrovia, LEGO, McCain, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada, Metro, Pizza Pizza, Tim Hortons, Toronto Hydro and Winterfest at Canada’s Wonderland. Parade partners include: Branded Cities, Edery & Lord Communications, GO Transit, Government of Ontario, McCann Canada, Siphon Strategy, Toronto Star, Thompson Terminals Limited, and TTC.
For further information about the Original Santa Claus Parade, visit: https://thesantaclausparade.com. Follow along on social media: Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube and use #SantaClausParadeTO to join the conversation.
The Original Santa Claus Parade History
The Original Santa Claus Parade made its debut in 1905, thanks to the sponsorship of T. Eaton Company (Eaton’s). The original Parade was a “one man show” with Santa as the only attraction. Santa travelled in a special automobile through downtown Toronto, handing out souvenirs and surprise packages to the community along the way. Today, the Original Santa Claus Parade is the largest children’s Parade in North America and the largest outdoor entertainment event held in Canada every year. The Parade relies on the support of sponsors, partners, and thousands of volunteers, to bring the magic of the season to millions of Canadians and people around the world.
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