Organizers of the Sudbury Santa Claus Parade expect more than 20,000 people to line the northern Ontario city’s downtown streets to catch a glimpse of Kris Kringle on Nov. 18.

Rick Carr, co-chair of the parade’s organizing committee, said this year’s event is already proving to be bigger than last year, which was the first parade since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were around 50 floats last year. This year we’re at 74 floats,” he said.

WATCH| Organizers say this year’s parade is a return to form

Each year, Sudburians can suggest a theme for the parade, and for 2023 Carr said the committee chose to go with “It’s a Sudbury Sporty Christmas.”

With the summer Olympics coming in 2024, and the popularity of local sports teams like the Sudbury Wolves, Carr said the theme made sense.

Many of the parade’s 74 floats will incorporate the theme.

Kyle Marcus, managing director of the Downtown Sudbury Business Improvement Area, and the parade’s marketing co-ordinator, said the parade is an opportunity for the community to come together ahead of the holiday season.

“I would say one of the symptoms that came out of COVID was this, you know, recognizing that we appreciate community,” he said.

“And these are the activities that allow us to bump shoulders with our neighbours, be in a crowd of people and feel like a big city.”

This year’s parade will start at 5:30 p.m. and will cover a route going down Notre Dame Avenue, toward Elm Street, and then heading west to Elgin Street. The parade will then head north on Elgin, and circle back to Notre Dame on Ste. Anne Road.

North Bay parade

North Bay will hold its parade the next day, on Nov. 19, starting at noon.

Jeff Serran is a former city councillor and lifelong participant and volunteer with the North Bay parade.

“Like Sudbury we’ve noticed that there has definitely been a bounce back since the events of what COVID held back for us,” he said.

Serran said 45 floats are signed up to take part in the parade, and there are last-minute additions every year.

He said he’s been involved with the parade for 50 years — starting as a child on the Salvation Army float — and loves how it’s “truly for kids of all ages.”

Serran said one of his favourite parade memories was in the early 2000s when he and some friends were dressed up as the Blues Brothers for a rock n’ roll theme that year.

“Our mayor at the time, was Vic Fedeli and he was dressed up as Elvis,” Serran said.

Sault Ste. Marie parade

In Sault Ste. Marie, Santa Claus parade marshal, David Marshall, said he expects between 10,000 and 15,000 people to show up for the downtown event, which starts at 6 p.m. on Nov. 18.

Marshall said there are 65 floats registered for the parade, which the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie organizes each year. 

“That’s remarkable because we are normally around 30ish, so we’ve really doubled up and it seems people are really supporting the Christmas parade,” Marshall said.

Timmins parade

In Timmins, at least 57 floats have registered for the Santa Claus parade, which starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

“That’s pretty remarkable for this city,” said Mark Rogers, who has live streamed the parade since 2005.

“I looked through the names of the different participants and it’s going to be a good parade.”

Rogers said he’s always impressed by the effort and creativity that goes into the different floats at the parade.

“Through the years you just see a whole wide variety of different floats, and you know, people get into this.” he said.