SAVE WPG SANTA CLAUS PARADE

DID YOU KNOW

Here are just a few of the things that make the  Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade so special:

·      It’s the largest outdoor event in Winnipeg with 60,000+ excited spectators

·      It began in Winnipeg in 1909 and this year marks the 109th consecutive parade

·      It is the second largest, second oldest Santa Clause parade in Canada

·      It’s the largest nighttime parade in Canada

·      The parade is made possible by 750+ volunteers and a volunteer, community board making the magic happen year after year

·      Annually, there are more than 75 float and walking entries that total more than 3,000 parade participants

·      It is an independent, non-affiliated, registered not-for-profit organization


Looking to donate?
Click DONATE in our GoFundMe campaign and help save the 108-year Winnipeg community tradition.

Looking to sponsor the event?
Interested sponsors are invited to call [phone redacted] or email [email redacted] for more information.

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To my beloved friends and families in Winnipeg,

I hope you're having a wonderful year thus far! I wanted to be sure and send my dates along as I’m scheduled to fly into Winnipeg for the 109th Winnipeg Santa Parade on November 17. There is only one problem - my sleigh.  At our most recent visit to the workshop, our head mechanic, Elf Alvin, was beside himself and broke the news that "it just can't fly anymore."

Alvin walked me around the sleigh and sadly, he was right. "The lighting is broken, and key structural pieces are being held together with twine. There are old Eaton's billboards crucial to the integrity of the float and they're falling to pieces. In addition to a disintegrating snowman and two flat tires, the reindeer lights - the most important tool for modern navigation - are burnt out." 

As sad as we were, seeing the Eaton's sign made Elf Alvin smile and pull his favourite photo album from the candy cane shelf. He dusted it off. The title was Winnipeg Santa Parade - 1920.

Our memories flooded with top hats adorning the Eaton’s Float. The big brass band livening up Portage Avenue. Horse-drawn carriages in front of the Fort Garry Hotel. Time flew by and we realized after about two hours, we were all the way into the 1980s. We flipped back and forth between albums realizing we were seeing the same families. Growing together. Watching the parade year after year, arm in arm. Sometimes with snow and sometimes without, but always with warm smiles and warmer hearts. 

"It just might just be one of the City of Winnipeg’s oldest traditions," said Elf Alvin. "It breaks my tiny elf heart to think that we may not have the lights, the sleigh, the bears and the brights to pull you through the parade this year." 

"Why don't we ask our friends and neighbours for help?," asked Alvin. "We can keep our tradition alive and we can do it together."

And so our dear friends and neighbours from near and far, we've put together a few thank yous for supporting the Winnipeg Santa Parade, large and small. We are grateful for each and every hard-earned penny that comes our way, and we thank you for your support as we work to build my new parade sleigh.

My warmest regards, 
Santa


Winnipeg Tribune, 1943

GoFundMe page created by Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade team members, Jane Puchniak and Monica Derksen, on behalf of the Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade,  an independent, non-affiliated, registered not-for-profit organization. [# 830913315MC0001]