Processions and parades have been a part of the holiday season for centuries. Depending on where you live, you might take part as a child, as an adult, or both. It might be connected to a particular saint’s day or a local tradition, oftentimes a religious tradition. However, we do have a secular, modern version of this- the Santa Claus parade. This has become a beloved tradition in many cities and towns across the west, but when did this tradition start? Let’s get into the history of Santa Claus parades for Blogmas 2023!
When and Where was the First Santa Claus Parade?
As a Canadian, I am proud to say that the first recorded Santa Claus parades were held in Toronto. Now, the Ontario Provincial Archives states that a parade was also held in Winnipeg in 1905 (the city where I am from), whereas Manitoba Hydro claims that both Winnipeg and Montreal had their first Santa Claus Parades in 1909. In any case, the first recorded Santa Claus parade in the US was most likely in 1913, so Canada gets to claim this first in any case! In many communities in North America, it is now one of the longest running public events.
Eaton’s Department Store originally staged the parade, with the 1905 parade featuring one single float with Santa Claus who ended his journey at Eaton’s in Toronto. The Eaton’s parades were particularly special, even when US department stores started hosting their own parades, because Eaton’s was one of the only stores who specifically made costumes for the parade in-house. Eaton’s also worked hard to limit the amount of advertising for the store in the parade.
What Happens in a Santa Claus Parade?
It should go without saying that Santa Claus is the main event of these parades- he typically will close out the parade as the last float but will sometimes lead the parade. However, he is always there. We will typically see dozens and sometimes even hundreds of other floats in our modern Santa Claus parades, though.
Very quickly, we start to see different charitable groups taking part in Santa Claus parades. By having a float in the parade, it was an easy way to get your group’s name and cause in front of the thousands of people there to enjoy the parade. Floats now can be incredibly elaborate. They will often have a Christmas theme and portray different holiday scenes and characters, but sometimes feature a local location or event.
It is also very common to see school children, scouting groups, fire departments, and sports teams creating floats or marching along in the parade. In many cities, it is considered a significant honour to be included in the parade.
Santa Claus Parade Sponsorship
Sponsorship has truly come to dominate the Santa Claus Parade landscape and the advertising that comes with it. Here in my city, Winnipeg, it is officially now the “Manitoba Hydro Santa Claus Parade”. Manitoba Hydro provides our heat and electricity as you might guess, and we have no alternative so advertising is not needed, but they still want their name connected to the parade. Things like the Santa Claus parade allow companies and organisations to connect themselves to the community during the time of year when the public really does notice it. It is interesting to see how commercial these beloved community events can be, and how we see the “local” maintained with the “corporate”.
It must be said- these can be expensive events to stage, and many local charitable organisations simply could not afford to sacrifice that money from their budget. And most municipal governments will also not consider paying for the parades anymore, leading to sponsorship being a necessity.
Watching the Santa Claus Parade
While thousands and thousands of people line the streets in cities and towns to watch all of the floats go by in the parade, many more will watch the Santa Claus Parade on television. From the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, Santa Claus parades were broadcast on the radio with hosts explaining all of the different floats. By the late 1950s, we start to see Santa Claus parades broadcast on television. Many parades are not available to watch on television anymore, but you can often find people and organisations streaming them live on YouTube and other social media networks.
Want more holiday history? You can find my Christmas history hub here!
Were you familiar with the history of Santa Claus parades?
Cheers,
The Historian
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Husband and I watched Detroit’s Thanksgiving parade this year. It ushers in Santa too, and it’s a big deal here. We don’t usually watch but this year, for whatever reason we did. It was kinda fun!