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Communities across Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland host family-friendly Santa Claus parades close to Christmas time to celebrate the holiday season.
This article contains information about the following parades:
Aldergrove Christmas Light Up Parade | Chilliwack Rotary Christmas Parade | Langley Magic of Christmas | Light Up Bowen Lantern Festival | Maple Ridge Christmas Festival | Mission Candlelight Parade | Steveston Santa Claus Parade | Squamish Santa Claus Parade | Surrey Santa Parade of Lights | Vancouver Santa Claus Parade | New Westminster Santa Claus Parade
Santa Claus parades are a great way to experience family-friendly fun and get into the holiday spirit. A number of Christmas parades take place in communities across the region. All of them are free to attend and most accept donations for worthy charitable causes.
Christmas parades on Santa’s schedule usually include ones in Vancouver, Surrey, Aldergrove, Maple Ridge, Langley, Bowen Island, Chilliwack, New Westminster and Richmond.
Check out our list of parades below to learn more about each and to find one in or near your community.
Christmas Parades in 2024
Winter holiday parades that take place most years are listed below. Many Christmas parades should be happening in 2024, although details for some are still to be confirmed as of mid-November.
Aldergrove Christmas Light Up Parade
In 2024, the Santa Claus parade in Aldergrove begins at 6:00 pm on Saturday, December 14th. This parade usually features large trucks with lights, tractors and floats.
There is a pre-parade gathering at 4:00 pm as well. It’s hosted at Aldergrove Plaza and includes food, beverages and live entertainment. Santa should be there as well.
Read our Aldergrove Christmas Light Up Parade article for more information.
Chilliwack Rotary Christmas Parade
A Christmas parade takes place on Saturday, November 30th in 2024. It begins at 5:30 pm and loops through downtown Chilliwack. The parade starts and ends near Chilliwack Senior Secondary School, located at 46363 Yale Road.
Click Chilliwack Rotary Christmas Parade for more information.
Langley Magic of Christmas
In 2024 this Christmas festival happens on Saturday, December 7th. A couple of years ago it was a two-day event. Last year and this year, however, it takes place on just one day.
Activities take place outdoors at the Timms Community Centre at 20399 Douglas Crescent, from noon until 6:00 pm. The event features ice carving demonstrations, carnival games, an artisan craft market and more to enjoy.
For more on what the festival was like last year, click Langley Magic of Christmas.
Light Up Bowen Lantern Festival
This year the Christmas-themed Light Up community event on Bowen Island runs on November 30th, 2024. The festival includes a small parade, carol singing and tree lighting.
Santa Claus arrives at the event by boat, and this year is joined by a number of other characters including Rudolph, Frosty, Elsa and Olaf from Frozen, and more. There are fun activities for children and warm cider and mulled wine for the adults.
Click Light Up Bowen for more information.
Maple Ridge Christmas Festival
A free community Christmas event and evening parade takes place at the Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge each year. In 2024 the festival is on Saturday, December 7th, and runs from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm.
The Maple Ridge Christmas Festival usually features food trucks, decorations, light displays, market vendors and more. The parade takes place at 6:00 pm. It includes a few floats, a marching band, people on horses, a fire truck and Santa Claus.
For more information, click Maple Ridge Christmas Festival.
Mission Candlelight Parade
The parade takes place along First Avenue and Lougheed Highway in downtown Mission. In 2024, the event begins at 6:00 pm on Saturday, December 7th.
The procession usually starts from Railway Avenue and proceeds west until Haig Street. Dozens of local retailers are usually open late on parade night. There are a number of floats in the parade and awards given out to businesses who put up the best festive displays.
Click Mission Candlelight Parade for additional information.
Steveston Santa Claus Parade
The Christmas parade in Richmond used to take place on Christmas Eve in Steveston Village from 6:00 pm until about 8:00 pm. The event made its grand return last year, in 2024, after four years of cancellations. In 2024, the event takes place a few weeks earlier than it has done in the past. This year it happens on Saturday, December 7th.
In the past the procession started at the corner of Regent Street and 6th Avenue. In 2024, however, it starts at Lord Byng Elementary at 3711 Georgia Street in Richmond. From there it winds its way along a number of streets before making its way to Gary Point Park.
The Steveston Santa Claus Parade is a free event, although donations of cash and non-perishable food to the Richmond Food Bank are greatly appreciated.
Click Steveston Santa Claus Parade for more.
Squamish Holiday Parade
The Squamish Holiday Parade (formerly the Squamish Santa Claus Parade) takes place on Saturday, November 30th in 2024. This parade typically features dozens of floats and other entries along Cleveland Avenue and runs between 5:00 pm and 6:30 pm in Squamish.
This family-friendly event features carolers and floats decorated by local people and businesses. Exact details for 2024 are to be confirmed, but hopefully (like last year) folks can also visit the Ledge Community Coffee House at 38055 Cleveland Avenue to take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and enjoy some live music.
To learn more, see our article about the Squamish Holiday Parade.
Surrey Santa Parade of Lights
In 2024 this Christmas parade takes place in Cloverdale on the night of Sunday, December 1st. It starts at 5:00 pm.
The origins of the parade were inspired by a soft drink commercial from 1997, and it features a variety of lit-up trucks, cars and other vehicles.
The event is free to attend, although folks are encouraged to bring along non-perishable foods or gift items to donate to the Cloverdale Community Kitchen, Surrey Food Bank & the Surrey Christmas Bureau.
Read our Surrey Santa Parade of Lights article for details.
Other Santa Claus Parades
In addition to the above, there used to be parades in Vancouver and New Westminster too. Neither of them has happened for a number of years (and may or may not ever happen again). Details about both of these other events, however, are below.
New Westminster Santa Claus Parade
Note: This parade hasn’t taken place since 2019. It seems unlikely to return in 2024.
In years past, the New Westminster Santa Claus parade ran along Columbia Street between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm from start to finish. The parade ran for only a few blocks, from around Fourth Street until Eighth, and lasted for about 45 minutes or so. The festivities typically include marching bands, politicians waving from cars, decorated floats and Santa Claus.
For more information on what the event used to look like, check out our New Westminster Santa Claus Parade page.
Vancouver Santa Claus Parade
Note: This parade hasn’t taken place since 2019. We hope to see it return again one year, but that might not happen.
The parade in downtown Vancouver was an annual event that attracted hundreds of thousands of people in years with good weather.
In 2019 the parade took place on Sunday, December 1st. Pre-parade activities happened in the plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery from 10:00 am until noon. The parade itself started at around 12:00 pm and went along Georgia and Howe Streets. Folks were invited to bring a donation for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society, but the event itself was free.
For more information about this event, see our article about the Vancouver Santa Claus Parade.
Other Information
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
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