Vancouver Santa Claus Parade is Coming to Town this Weekend
Santa Claus really is coming to town this weekend in Downtown Vancouver! On December 3, 2017 Vancouver will play host to the annual Santa Claus Parade being held at noon on Sunday.
The parade is the largest Christmas parade celebrated in Western Canada and is a free, family-fun event. It also doubles as a food and fundraising event for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society and the CKNW Orphans’ Fund, making it a great event to kick off the holiday season!
The weather forecast is looking promising for Sunday, so hopefully the sun will shine down on the parade!
The Vancouver Santa Claus Parade starts at 12:00pm sharp and begins at West Georgia Street and Broughton before travelling east along West Georgia. Then, it will turn south on Howe Street and finish at Howe and Davie.
Image rfom GoToVan | Flickr.com
You can expect marching bands, dance troupes, festive floats and lots of community groups, all set to entertain the crowds gathering for the parade. Each year, about 60 community and corporate entries and floats, 2,700 marching participants and more than 300 volunteers converge on the streets of downtown Vancouver for this unforgettable event! Typically over 300,000 spectators take to the streets to get a chance to spot Santa, so make sure you stake a spot early!
If you’d like to participate in the ‘Spirit of Giving’, volunteers will also be collecting non-perishable food items and monetary donations on behalf of the Vancouver Food Bank Society. Every $1 donated goes towards $3 worth of food!
Image courtesy of GoToVan | Flickr.com
If you’d like to start the morning off with an exclusive breakfast with Santa, there will be a delicious breakfast buffet and VIP meet & greet with the Big Man himself at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
Before the main event begins at 12:00pm, there will also be some pre-parade fun at the North side of the Vancouver Art Gallery. A Christmas Square will be set up starting at 10:00am for free festivities including face painting, a letters to Santa station, and an entertainment stage.
The fun doesn’t stop after the last float! Once the parade has ended, Santa will be hosting a photo session at TELUS Garden from 2:00pm – 4:00pm.
Vancouver Santa Claus Parade 2017 Details
Date: Sunday, December 3, 2017
Time: Parade starts at 12:00pm
Location: Downtown Vancouver
Website: www.vancouversantaclausparade.com