Santa brings his parade to Winnipeg on Saturday — watch for reindeer and road closures

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Peggy

The annual Santa Claus Parade will make its way down Portage Avenue on Saturday, starting from the famous intersection with Main Street at 5 p.m.

It will make its way west down Portage before turning south at Memorial Boulevard and ending at Memorial and St. Mary Avenue. There are nearly 60 entries listed for this year.

The celebrations, however, begin with a handful of block parties starting at 4 p.m., which means a number of road closures, some beginning as early as 11 a.m.

The southbound lanes of Main, between Portage and York avenues, will shut down at that earliest time, while the following will close at 2 p.m.:

Portage between Main and Memorial.
Northbound Memorial between Portage and Broadway, and southbound between St. Mary and Broadway.

Edmonton Street between Portage and Graham avenues will also be closed during the parade, along with Vaughn Street between Portage and Graham.

Some streets will be open but only for vehicles to access parkades. The full list is available here.

A road map showing street closures and a parade route — The parade will start at Portage and Main, make its way west down Portage, then turn south at Memorial Boulevard and end at Memorial and St. Mary Avenue. (mbhydrosantaparade.com)

Established in 1909 by Eaton’s department store, the Winnipeg parade is the city’s longest-running free community event. It is now known as the Manitoba Hydro Santa Claus Parade.

Due to rising costs, Eaton’s stopped operating it in 1965. Capt. George Smith of the East Kildonan Fire Department, on behalf of the Winnipeg Firefighters Club, bought the rights to the parade for $1.50, marking the start of the community-based format that the parade still follows to this day, the website says.

From 1966 to 1975, Winnipeg firefighters worked closely with volunteers from schools around the city to carry on the tradition. In 1975, the Winnipeg Jaycees, now JCI Winnipeg, took over stewardship.

In 1987, the Christmas Cheer Board began its relationship with the parade, collecting donations and non-perishable food items along the route.

Manitoba Hydro became involved in 2006, combining it with its annual parade, which was known as the Power Smart Festival of Lights and ran from 1999 to 2005.

JCI Winnipeg and Manitoba Hydro agreed in 2007 to a joint-title sponsorship for the Christmas parade and in 2012, a community-based not-for-profit, the Winnipeg Parade Committee Inc., was created to produce the event and ensure its sustainability.

Manitoba Hydro is now the primary sponsor.