Saturday’s Peninsula Co-op Santa Claus Parade is set to be the biggest ever, with 85 entries.
Organizer Kelly Kurta, executive director of the Greater Victoria Festival Society, said that’s up from an average of 60 to 65 entries in recent years for the event, now in its 42nd year.
“What’s really cool is that we have 23 new entries,” Kurta said. “They’ve never been in the parade before, and for me that’s really exciting.”
Among the new attractions in the parade, which starts at 5:30 p.m., is a float from Country Grocer, while Santa’s long-serving float — which is stored between parades in donated space at Bayview Place — has some added features, including a new house.
Kurta also suggested watching for the Department of National Defence float, which will have more than 80,000 lights. “It’s gorgeous,” she said. “It’s massive — it’s basically a boat.”
About 40,000 people are expected to line the parade route from the corner of Government and Belleville streets to Douglas and Fisgard. The forecast is for no precipitation, but Kurta said the parade has always attracted big crowds regardless of the weather.
A new route established last year is back again, with the parade heading north on Government, right on Humboldt and left on Douglas.
Also back after being introduced in 2023 is an area at the beginning of the route where the Victoria Disability Resource Centre will provide a live audio description of the parade. That area has tripled in size this year, and will host more than 75 people, Kurta said.
Stages Dance will perform from 4:55 to 5:25 p.m. in the starting area before the launch of the parade, which will be broadcast live on CHEK starting at 5:20 p.m.
Volunteers from the Mustard Seed will be at the corner of Douglas and Humboldt during the parade, offering hot chocolate in exchange for donations of cash or non-perishable food items.
Road closures will be in place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Government from Superior and Humboldt, Belleville from Menzies to Douglas, and Menzies from Superior to Belleville.
In addition, Humboldt will be closed from Government to Douglas from about 5 to 7:30 p.m., and Douglas will be closed from Belleville to Bay from about 4:45 to 7:30 p.m., with no traffic allowed to cross Douglas during that time.
Parade-goers can also take in Greater Victoria’s largest free outdoor light display, at Centennial Square from Saturday through Dec. 31.
Called Lights of Wonder, it will have interactive light tunnels, themed exhibits, and a 40-foot festive tree, with the lights set to be turned on for the first time this season once the parade wraps up.
Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available on a by-donation basis following the parade, and the Pandora Chorus will perform at 7 p.m. — the first of dozens of musical guests scheduled to perform at the site through New Year’s Eve.
Horse-drawn trolley and Ferris-wheel rides will be among the range of free offerings in the weeks ahead. Lights of Wonder comes to a close with a pair of New Year’s Eve countdowns at 9 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31.
With other events on tap, downtown is expected to be a very busy place on Saturday — the Royal B.C. Museum Winterfest is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Out of Hand market is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Crystal Garden on Douglas Street, and the Victoria Royals play the Seattle Thunderbirds at 6:05 p.m. at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
— With a file from Mike Devlin
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