Festive reminder: Queen Street will be closed for tomorrow's Santa Claus Parade

Santa Claus is coming to town this weekend as the annual Rotary Santa Claus Parade kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Motorists are reminded that a number of downtown road closures will be in effect in order to facilitate the festivities.

"To provide a safe parade route, there will be no parking on Queen Street East from Church Street to Andrew Street starting at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 18," Sault Police say in a news release. "Any vehicle found parked along the parade route after the designated time will be towed from the area."

Full details can be found in the news release below:

Santa Claus is coming to town! Join the magic downtown this weekend at the Rotary Santa Claus Parade. The Parade takes off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 along Queen Street East, from Pim Street to Gore Street. There will be a sensory-friendly block from Bruce Street to Dennis Street for those who require a horn-free view of the festivities.

The following road closures and traffic disruptions will take place on Nov. 18, 2023 to facilitate the Rotary Santa Claus Parade:
    •    Queen Street East from Churchill Boulevard to Church Street will be closed to all traffic from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
    •    Queen Street East from Church Street to Gore Street will be closed to all traffic from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
    •    Lower Church Street  from Queen Street East south to the waterfront will be closed from 5 to 7 p.m.

Parade Marshal David K. Marshall spoke to Santa Claus last night, sharing that he’s very excited to see all his friends in the Sault. “I told Santa we have more than 60 entries - one of the bigger parades over the years and he's very happy to hear that. He's looking forward to seeing the new Rotary Interactive Fountain and all the lights downtown.”

This year, Santa isn’t the only thing coming to town. The Rotary Club will also be unveiling two Rotary Take Your Pick Draw prize options.

“An exciting time of the year is upon us we unveil our winter prize packages,” shared Take Your Pick co-chair Rod Goodall. “Living in a Northern community - you’re going to want either one of these great prize packages.”

Ticket sales have officially launched and can be found at a lottery outlet near you, and along the Parade route. Sales end Friday, Dec. 22 and the winner will be drawn on Wednesday, Dec. 27 2023.

For many years, the Rotary Take Your Pick Draw has supported countless charitable projects within our community. Proceeds from the this past year’s Take Your Pick Draw have endorsed organizations like THRIVE Child Development, Easter Seals Ontario, Therapeutic Ride, United Way, and Harvest Algoma.