For Edmontonians, it’s the event that kickstarts the holiday season and this year, Santa’s Parade of Lights will be even bigger than in years past.
The downtown spectacle fill feature about 30 floats compared to the 20 it had last year and float designer Lynette Maurice says that’s kept her quite busy recently.
“We’ve really been concentrating on it quite seriously … here for two days,” she said. “But weeks went into it before that.”
Maurice, who has about 20 years of experience designing floats, said while it’s been an unseasonable warm November, people always need to be ready for whatever Mother Nature may throw at the event.
“We have to be prepared for the potential snowstorm (when) driving it (the float) down to the site.”
WATCH: Santa’s Parade of Lights taking over downtown Edmonton
The parade begins at 5 p.m. and winds its way from Jasper Avenue just west of 100 Street to Winston Churchill Square. Drivers should expect longer than normal commutes through the downtown area. For a look at the parade route, click here.
After the parade, the festive fun will continue with musical performances and food trucks at Winston Churchill Square.The Edmonton Arts Council also plans to put on a number of activities and of course Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will make an appearance.
-With files from Shallima Maharaj.