Here comes Santa Claus: Saint Nick to be guest of honour at new hybrid Help Santa Parade of Lights

After a two-year hiatus, Santa Claus is coming back to town.

Kids will get to see the famous man in red in a new Help Santa Toy Parade and Parade of Lights hybrid, now called the Santa’s Parade of Lights, in three separate areas of the city on one day.

While the exact parade route has yet to be confirmed, Bob Rainboth, chairman of Santa’s Parade of Lights, says the parade will start in Kanata in the afternoon, head through downtown and then end in Orleans in the evening.

“This year’s parade will have a unique spin on things this year,” Rainboth told CityNews Ottawa. “The details under are wraps because we have a plan that’s quite appealing and interesting to the public.”

It’s all to keep the magic of the holidays alive — magic, Rainboth said, the community is craving. 

“Not having it for two years now, it’s a cry from the community that they want to get out and celebrate the holidays and help raise toys,” Rainboth said. “People are craving it. We’ve been doing it for 52 years now for the Help Santa parade and 24 years for the Parade of Lights. It’s a win-win if it’s to happen.”

Typically in a year, both parades see between 120,000 to 150,000 people line the streets, but this year the crowds might not be as big. That doesn’t mean, though, organizers haven’t planned for the usual big gathering just in case. 

And the idea to have three smaller parades be part of one larger parade is one way to help crowd control – a way to enforce physical distancing and ensure everyone gets a good seat at the parade, Rainboth said.

Paraders will also be there to remind people of safety protocols to ensure a safe and healthy parade route.

While the parade has been given the green light from the city, organizers are waiting on the official permits to come through, which Rainboth said he hopes will happen this week.

And since donating toys is all part of the tradition, Rainboth said new toys still in packaging can be donated at any city-run firehouse in a clear plastic bag or online at ToyParade.ca. Monetary donations can also be made through monitories@toyparade.ca.