With the 2024 Canada Day Parade proceeding, the City of Peterborough, Ont., is encouraging businesses and groups to enter a float for the annual downtown event.
This year’s parade theme is “Happy Birthday Canada!”
“The Canada Day parade has been a family favourite in Peterborough for decades,” Mayor Jeff Leal said. “It’s fantastic to have the community come together to celebrate our country and reflect on its history. Having an entry in the parade is an excellent opportunity for local businesses and community groups to connect with everyone along the parade route.”
The future of this year’s parade was uncertain after city staff in early April recommended cancelling the event due to declining participation, rising insurance costs and waning community interest.
Staff had reported that there were 25 float entries in the 2023 Canada Day Parade, which travels along George Street, compared with 21 entries in 2022 and 16 in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the city to cancel the parade in 2020 and 2021.
However, in late April, city council rejected the staff report. Council agreed to hold the parade this year and review it to determine the fate of the parade next year and beyond.
Parade entry applications will be open until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 14. The parade will begin at noon on July 1 in front of city hall at 500 George Street North and travel south to Del Crary Park.
Commercial floats will be charged a fee of $125 with fees payable online.
Each parade entry will require a representative to attend a safety orientation meeting on Tuesday, June 25 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the banquet room of Healthy Planet Arena, 911 Monaghan Rd.
Pre-parade activities — including face-painting, serving of birthday cake, live music and a children’s bicycle decorating contest — are also planned, starting at 10 a.m. at city hall.
Parade entry forms are available online at peterborough.ca/CanadaDay and paper copies are available at the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre at 775 Brealey Dr. and at city hall.
Road closures
Temporary road closures for the parade will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Closures will include:
- Dublin Street – from the east side of Aylmer Street to the west side of Water Street
- London Street – from the east side of Aylmer Street to the west side of Water Street
- Murray Street – from the east side of Aylmer Street to the west side of Water Street
- George Street – from the south side of Parkhill Road West to the north side of Brock Street
George Street from Brock Street to Rink Street is being treated as a rolling road closure.
Transit detours will be in place.
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