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Jan.2, 2005 - Jan.9, 2005 |
Santa Claus is back
Several holiday parades this year in Toronto and Vaughan
By Vanessa Robinson
Originally Published: 2004-11-21
This year marks two important anniversaries in the public appearances of Jolly Old St. Nicholas and his festive entourage. On November 21, the city of Toronto is holding its one hundredth Santa Claus Parade - believed to be the longest running parade of its kind - and on November 28, Vaughan Region will be celebrating its fifth year of SantaFest, complete with parade and Santa's Village.
Both not-for-profit events and are made possible by the help and dedication of their numerous sponsors and volunteers, and of course by the many thousands of excited spectators who line the streets in anticipation of Santa's arrival.
The annual Toronto Santa Claus Parade began in 1905, as a publicity stunt put on by Eaton's department store. It has since grown to be the largest Santa Claus parade in the world, broadcast to many different countries across the globe.
Every year, over 25 beautifully decorated floats and some 1500 parade participants coast and march along Toronto mainstreets in a procession that is best described as colourful, lively, upbeat and fun. Long-standing favourites tend to include the marching bands, fairy tale or nursery rhyme characters like Mother Goose, and recent hit characters from children's programmes like SpongeBob SquarePants. The all-time favourite, of course, has to be the jolly man himself, Santa Claus, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Claus and a gathering of elves.
This year, in honour of the parade's 100th anniversary, the Ontario Heritage Foundation will present it with a provincial plaque. The unveiling ceremony will take place on November 19 at Nathan Phillips Square.
The annual SantaFest Parade, held in Vaughan, is an equally vibrant and well-attended affair. Last year there were over 3500 spectators along the route, and over 1500 volunteers working to make it succeed. Along with the parade, SantaFest features an entire Santa's Village, where families can go ice-skating, have their faces painted, do crafts and drink hot chocolate. And for all those who would like their lists checked up on, Mr. and Mrs. Claus are around for a visit.
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