When Santa arrives in downtown London Saturday, he will be using a different route than normal.
The 67th annual London Santa Claus parade is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. But unlike in years past, the parade will not be rolling down Dundas Street. Ongoing construction downtown has forced the parade to reroute.
Parade officials have announced this year's spectacle will begin at Quebec Street and Queens Avenue. It will travel down Queens and turn north on Waterloo Street. From there it will go west on Dufferin Avenue and then south on Clarence Street before turning back into Queens heading to Ridout Street.
The theme of this year's parade is "Christmas lights extravaganza."
"There will be some amazing floats, sparkling with thousands of lights," Parade Executive Director Shaun Merton said in a statement. "Once again the wonderful Tian Guo Marching Band will join us, as will the Golden Harps Steel Orchestra, Shelly Rastin Band and London favourite Bobnoxious."
Parade-goers are asked to bring a non-perishable food donation for the London Food Bank. Last year, more than 5,387 lbs of food was collected along the parade route.
The annual Toonie Toss will also be held again this year. Money raised through the toss is used to help cover some of the costs associated with putting on the free community event. The annual parade is organized by a volunteer committee and relies on community sponsorships and donations. It has been an annual tradition in London since 1956.
London Transit will be debuting its "ugly festive sweater holiday bus" at the parade. The bus will be in service until the start of the new year.
People who can't make it out to view the parade in-person can watch it online. A livestream will be available starting at 6:30 p.m. and will remain on www.londonsantaparade.ca for nearly one year after the parade.
