Hundreds of residents attended the annual Burford Santa Claus Parade on Saturday, December 14, 2024.
The parade kicked off on Potter Drive and headed north before turning right onto King Street. After making its way through the downtown core, it then made a right onto Park Avenue to head towards the Burford Fairgrounds.
Larry Davis, the County of Brant’s Town Crier, led the pack at the front of the parade and the local Lions Club, as well as the Burford Fire Department, followed shortly behind.
A variety of local businesses, organizations and community groups such as hockey teams, dance studios and the Burford Tractor Club were all present for this year’s holiday spectacle.
While the 29 floats made their way through the route, parade participants were all smiles as they waved to the crowd of people and handed out different candies along the way.
A short while later, many families jumped to their feet to wave to the man of the hour, Santa Claus, as he arrived on scene to wave to residents and wish them a “Merry Christmas!”
After the parade, many residents made their way to Burford Fairgrounds’ agricultural building for a chance to grab hot chocolate, coffee, a bag of goodies and to visit with Jolly St. Nicholas and Mrs. Claus.
Neil McKinnell, a member of the Burford Lions Club, said he was pleased with how many people came out for the event
“The parade is always a really big deal and we had a great turnout this evening,” he said. “Even here at our little Santa meet and greet, you can see we’ve got quite a large group of people who have come over and I’m to see all the people around that are having fun.”
McKinnell added that the parade is always a great chance to bring the residents together and give back to the local community.
“It’s just a fun way to celebrate the holidays; you get to meet other people and the kids get to get together before school gets out and that’s what it’s all about really… bringing everyone out and supporting the community,” said McKinnell. “As a member of the Lions Club, it’s just great to give back and do what we can for our residents.”
Stephanie Marr, a Brantford resident whose daughter participated in the parade, said that it was her second time attending the annual event and that once again, she was impressed with how it turned out.
“I think the parade is always really nice, there’s a lot of lights, a lot of floats and just a lot of happy people,” said Marr. “There’s just something special about a small town parade, I feel like everybody really puts that extra effort into it and it’s so nice to see everyone come together.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
