Santa Claus will be greeting young and old in downtown Peterborough this Saturday as he returns for the 48th annual Kinsmen Santa Claus Parade.
This year’s theme is “A Storybook Christmas.” The parade made a return in 2022 following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A rolling road closure along George Street will supervised by the Peterborough Police Service .
The City of Peterborough says the following road closures will be in place starting at 4 p.m. to allow for both parade staging and procession:
- Antrim, Edinburgh, Dublin, London, McDonnel and Murray streets — all closed between Aylmer Street to Water Street
- George Street: Closed between Parkhill Road to Brock Street
- Prince Street: Closed between George Street to Park Street
- Aylmer Street: Closed between Lansdowne Street to Romaine Street
Parade volunteers will remove barricades to allow for local access for residents and emergency vehicles along side streets. All road closures are expected to be over by 7:30 p.m.
The city says no on-street parking is permitted on George Street between Brock and Prince streets starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Parking staff will be on-site to help ensure cars are relocated. Any cars still parked on George Street at 3 p.m. will be towed to a nearby lot.
Drivers are encouraged to park in the King Street Parkade at 202 King St., the Simcoe Street parking garage at 190 Simcoe St. or the following municipal surface lots:
- Chambers Lot at 184 Hunter St.
- Reid Lot at 350 Reid St.
- Surface lot at 365 Aylmer St.
- Rehill Lot at 210 Wolfe St.
- Del Crary Lot at 100 George St. N.
- Downie Lot at 336 Downie St.
Parking in municipal lots and parking garages is free on weekends. Any parking fees that are voluntarily paid during the month of December will be donated to Kawartha Food Share.
Beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday, all Peterborough Transit routes will detour around George Street between Parkhill Road and Brock Street.
The city says during the rolling road closures as the parade progresses down George Street, the following routes will be detoured:
- #2 Chemong
- #4 Weller
- #6 Sherbrooke
- #22 Blue Community Buss
- #23 Red Community Bus
Call Transit customer service at 705-745-0525 for more details.
Starting at 7 p.m. the Peterborough Petes will host the North Bay Battalion at 7:05 p.m. at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
The city advises fans to plan for extra travel time due to the Santa Claus parade. Paid parking at the arena will open at 4 p.m. Arena doors open at 6 p.m.
“With increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic expected, everyone is reminded to please leave extra time and use caution while travelling in the downtown area on December 2,” the city stated.
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