NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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Get ready for the 2025 Orillia Santa Claus Parade, presented by Eagle Landscaping and Norscape Landscape and Pond Depot.
The parade is organized by the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce (ODCC) and is made possible through the support of local business sponsors and the members of the ODCC. This year’s parade takes place on Saturday, Nov. 23, starting at 5 p.m., and attendees can help support local needs by bringing non-perishable food donations and gently used winter jackets, which will be collected along the parade route.
The parade will depart from the eCapital parking lot at the intersection of Queen Street and West Street South before travelling north to Colborne Street, then making a loop through the downtown area between Dunlop Street and Front Street before heading back along Front Street to the departure point. A detailed map showing the route is available at www.orillia.com/santa-claus-parade.
Toromont Cat will be partnering with The Sharing Place Food Centre to collect food donations. As has become tradition at the Orillia Santa Claus Parade, Toromont volunteers will be collecting the donations from attendees and placing them in Toromont’s giant loader.
The loader is always a popular spectacle with young parade goers. The Sharing Place has advised that their most-wanted items for this holiday season include healthy food and hygiene items like canned meat or fish, canned vegetables, canned soup, peanut butter, toothbrush/toothpaste, shampoo/soap, men’s razors, deodorant, and menstrual products.
Laundry Lounge will be collecting gently used coats for their 13th annual winter coat drive. They have partnered with the Orillia Learning Centre and Simcoe Shores Secondary School to collect, clean, and distribute winter coats to Orillia and area students and residents in need. They are seeking winter coats in all sizes but are in particular need of small children’s sizes and men’s large. Any style of winter coat in good condition is welcome; however, due to specialized cleaning requirements fur and leather coats cannot be accepted.
Well over 60 floats are already signed up to take part in the parade, making it one of the largest north of Toronto. There is still time for last-minute float registrations, and community groups and businesses are encouraged to sign up at orilliaca.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/1339. There is no registration fee for non-profit groups including sports teams and community groups, or for businesses that are members of the ODCC. A float is a great way to give back to the community while gaining brand visibility.
The ODCC is seeking staging volunteers, as well as banner carriers to take part in the parade. Banner carrying is a fun way to connect with the community and an ideal opportunity for high school students to earn volunteer hours. Younger banner carriers are welcome, provided they are able to walk the entirety of the parade route and are accompanied by an adult.
Volunteers and banner carriers can sign up at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfN-PYRp6K0p076bugS1ohvJTzaILdtShBAHLhUhd-zivOQIw/viewform.
Sponsor opportunities are still available and can be accessed by contacting [email protected]. For members of the public who would like to support the parade, the Kiwanis club’s Bucket Brigade will be collecting donations along the parade route. The ODCC is a non-profit organization made up of local, mostly small, businesses, and does not receive any government funding to assist with the parade. All donations, regardless of the amount, are greatly appreciated and go toward offsetting parade expenses.
The parade is expected to take between one and two hours to complete the route, so spectators are reminded to dress for weather conditions. Given that the parade is a nighttime event, light-coloured and/or reflective clothing, or even glow sticks, are recommended, particularly for young children.
Families attending the parade are encouraged to discuss ahead of time the importance of taking extra precautions around roadways in the dark, and ensure that children are closely monitored and kept back from the path of parade floats at all times.
Parking in the downtown area will be limited on the evening of the parade, so carpooling, active transportation, or public transportation is highly encouraged.
More information about the Santa Claus parade is available on the ODCC website, www.orillia.com.
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