With just a few more days to go, the Orillia Santa Claus Parade is shaping up to be as big and bright as
ever!
The Orillia Santa Claus Parade, presented by Eagle Landscaping and Norscape Landscape and Pond
Depot, will march though downtown Orillia beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 22. The
parade is organized by the Orillia & District Chamber of Commerce (ODCC) and made possible without
the support of parade sponsors and the members of the ODCC.
This year there has been outstanding engagement from local businesses and organizations, with over
100 floats already registered. The parade has long been known as one of the largest outside of Toronto,
and this year’s event will be no exception! Attendees can expect colourful lights, music, walking groups,
and creative floats of all types.
A map showing the parade route is posted at www.orillia.com/santa. Businesses and residents in the
downtown area, particularly in the area between Dunlop and Front streets are encouraged to check the
map and plan ahead as road closures may impact traffic, parking, and access to some buildings and
parking lots. On-street parking will be unavailable after 2:00 p.m. along the parade route, and there will
be an impact on City transit.
For those attending the parade, there will be free transit, courtesy of Orillia Tim Hortons, before and
after the event. Attendees are encouraged to take advantage of this service, or consider active
transportation or carpooling, as parking space near the parade route can fill up quickly. For those who
will be driving, there are several municipal parking lots as well as some on-street parking in the vicinity
of the parade route. The City of Orillia’s website is a good resource for parking information.
Continuing a tradition of giving, Toromont Cat has partnered with The Sharing Place Food Centre to
collect food donations along the parade route. Parade spectators who are able are asked to bring a
healthy food item to help fill a “Dozer Load” of donations for the food centre. The Sharing Place has a
list of most-needed items posted on their website at https://sharingplaceorillia.org/donate-food-2/.
Attendees are reminded that volunteers will come and collect the donations from the sidewalk to place
in the dozer, and the public should not approach the vehicle themselves.
Canada Post will be collecting letters for Santa. Letters can be addressed to Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H
0H0, Canada, and should include a return address.
The Kiwanis Bucket Brigade will be marching with the floats collecting monetary donations. Donations
go toward covering the parade costs.
A special thank you goes to eCapital who has donated the use of their parking lot for parade marshalling,
to the Lion’s Club of Orillia for providing treats and hot chocolate for the parade volunteers, and to the
countless volunteers including members of the Rotary Club of Orillia who help with parade staging and
marshalling.
Another big thanks goes to the businesses and organizations who entered floats in the parade. Parade
participants should by now have received an email from the ODCC with instructions for the day of the
parade. The contact for float participants is events@orillia.com.
There are still a few opportunities available for anyone who would like to volunteer to carry a banner in
the parade. This is a great chance for highschool students to earn their community service hours. Those
interested in carrying a banner can contact events@orillia.com .
