This Saturday, SDC Montréal centre-ville, in partnership with TVA and Santa Claus, will present the 71st edition of the Montréal Santa Claus Parade. This year, aerospace engineer Farah Alibay will assume the Star Fairy unifying and symbolic role! Starting at 10 a. m., a crowd of all ages, expected in large numbers, will kick off the holiday season in downtown Montreal!
A new route and places to meet up
The 2023 edition of the Parade will take on the feel of a large dance floor to welcome Santa Claus to town. The parade will feature loads of music, with 12 professional troupes combining music, dance, acrobatics, brass bands and entertainment. All musical styles will be on display, from funky jazz to Irish and other traditional dances from a variety of cultural communities. More than 405 costumed characters through downtown Montreal on November 25th to an astonished crowd of young and old.
This grand celebration will feature several firsts, including the opportunity for spectators to gather in Dorchester Square and watch the Parade broadcast live on a jumbo screen. From 10:00 a.m., choirs and make-up artists will enliven this magnificent public space, which will be illuminated throughout the day to mark the start of the city’s winter festivities.
Spectators will also be able to gather at Place Ville Marie’s Esplanade PVM at 10:30 a.m. to watch Santa Claus and all his friends start the Parade, providing more children the chance to meet Old Saint Nick and kick off this year’s festivities along a brand-new route.
The official start will be at 11:00 a.m. on Boulevard René-Lévesque, opposite the Place Ville Marie’s Esplanade PVM. The Parade will then proceed along avenue Robert-Bourassa and continue on Sainte-Catherine Street to Place des Arts on Saint-Urbain Street. Spectators will be able to line up along the route, with the exception of Sainte-Catherine Street between de Bleury and Balmoral, due to a private construction site.
Players from the Montreal Alouettes will also join 13 floats animated by 12 professional groups featuring music, dance, brass bands and entertainment. To prolong the fun even longer, the band Les Petites Tounes will have the audience dancing and singing in a concert that will mark the end of the 71st edition at 12:15 p.m. on the Promenade des Artistes, located behind Place des Arts in Quartier des spectales. Families and children are then invited to meet Santa Claus at Complexe Desjardins.
Other articles from mtltimes.ca – totimes.ca – otttimes.ca
