Why does Calgary not have a Santa Claus Parade?
Posted Dec 7, 2015 12:28 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto and Edmonton’s were last month, Vancouver’s was Sunday, but there hasn’t been a Santa Claus Parade in Calgary for the ninth year in a row.
Back in 2007, the Calgary Downtown Association decided to move from a parade to a number of family-based events.
Executive Director Maggie Schofield told 660 NEWS that all the construction in the core at the time was a major factor.
“Think about the road closure for the Bow (building) for instance,” Schofield said. “Ninth Avenue was close to being impassable for a pedestrian, so that really started the conversation and the next piece really came around the volunteer fatigue.”
The other reason was a big change in the city’s permitting process for downtown events.
Schofield said that if a major sponsor stepped up to take over the expense and coordination, like Rogers Communications in Vancouver, it might consider bringing the parade back.
She also added that there has been some talk of reviving the parade, but nothing significant.
“We have offered to work with any number of organizations, we’ve had little, or nothing as far as interest,” she said. “We had one group out of the University of Calgary a few years ago that were perhaps interested, but that never came to fruition.”
As of right now, they’re sticking with a series of celebrations, like this weekend’s event with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Devonian Gardens to draw people downtown and hopefully get them spending their holiday shopping dollars in the core.
