We’ve had our first snow for the year, now bring on the parade!
Care got a little tied up today, so she wasn’t able to put together our usual Spotlight YGK listing of events in the city for this weekend.
Don’t worry, Care is ok – just a minor fender bender on the heels of the first snow of the year! But she wanted to make sure that everyone was aware that tomorrow is the 15th annual Nighttime Santa Claus Parade. So make sure you get out and enjoy the city in the brightness of the freshly fallen snow, and read on for some tips and info about the parade.
The Nighttime Santa Claus Parade will kick off at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, when the parade will depart from Innovation Park at Bath Road and Princess Street and down Princess Street to Ontario Street. Organized by the Downtown Kingston BIA, the parade will end at Market Square behind City Hall, where the annual tree lighting ceremony will take place with Santa Claus himself as the guest of honour.
A number of businesses, cafés and restaurants along Princess Street will host special events and sales, so be sure to pop by your favourite storefronts, and MP Mark Gerretsen will be handing out hot chocolate from his office at 841 Princess Street.
Free transit
If you’re travelling into the downtown core for the parade, Kingston Transit is offering free rides on all city routes all day. Additionally, all Express Routes will run on 15 minute service rather than 30 minute service from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. You can plan your ride with the City’s trip planner here.
Transit Changes
A number of routes will be affected by the parade route, and are expected to be affected from approximately 4:30 to 8 p.m. Find which routes will be affected and changed here.
Rotary Comfort Zones
This year, Downtown Kingston has partnered with the Rotary Clubs of Kingston and Easter Seals Ontario (Southeastern Ontario) to provide viewing accommodations for families with accessibility needs. With volunteers on hand, these sites will be as close as possible to public parking lots with additional accessibility spaces available for the evening, and also as close as possible to accessible washrooms. For more information on the Rotary Comfort Zones, click here.
Road Closures
Princess Street will be closed to traffic during the parade.
Market Street will be closed from Ontario Street to King Street from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday to accommodate the Tree Lighting Ceremony. Additionally, King Street will be closed from Tragically Hip Way to Place D’Armes from 3 a.m. on Saturday to 3 a.m. on Sunday for the Tim Hicks concert at the Leon’s Centre.
Streets downtown will undoubtedly be crowded and difficult to navigate during and after the parade. Please stay safe, everyone, and enjoy the weekend and the parade!