Thousands take in 105th Santa Claus Parade

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This article was published 15/11/2014 (4050 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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The jolly old elf never disappoints, and this year his arrival in Winnipeg drew fans who lined up for blocks to greet him.

Thousands lined the 16-block parade route from Young Street to William Stephenson Way for the 105th Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade Saturday night.

They came dressed in snow pants and winter jackets against the early winter chill. They carried lawn chairs and bundles of blankets, and set up their families curbside, content to wait out the cold to ensure the best view.

As Santa Claus passed pivot points along the Portage Avenue route, fireworks were timed to herald his arrival — at the University of Winnipeg, Portage Place Mall and Portage and Main — to the appreciative “oohs” and “ahhs” from thousands of expectant kids.

This year’s event was trimmed down to 90 floats from the usual 100. And the fireworks along the parade route replaced the fireworks shows at The Forks from earlier years.

Parents with kids and toddlers in strollers arrived hours before the hour-long parade got underway at 5 p.m. taking up choice spots overlooking the parade in the Portage Place Mall’s skywalks and ducking inside —anywhere — until the big guy arrived.

“This is our first year,” said Tina Hidalgo as she and her son Julian, 6, made their way down Memorial Boulevard with friends a good two hours before the parade began.

“Are you excited to see Santa?”she asked, turning to her son, bundled up in a snowsuit at her side.

“Yeah!” the boy yelled, drawing a laugh from his mother.

For Marilou Valmonte and her daughter Jizel, 10, the parade is a winter highlight.

“We come almost every year, to see Santa Claus and all the floats and the lights,” Valmonte said.

Block parties lined the route ahead of the parade, with hot chocolate to keep away the cold and the scent of mini donuts to tantalize the tastebuds. This year, an afternoon concert with Camerata Nova added the sound of Christmas tradition at The Manitoba Hydro Building.

For more than a century, the annual Santa Claus parade has marked the beginning of the holiday season. This year, the event fell 39 days before the return of Santa on Christmas Eve.