Santa Claus Parade Toronto 2026: the date and what to wear

A parade is a long stand, not a walk, so I would dress from the ground up.

On a curb on Bloor from late morning, with a child on your shoulders, thin sneakers and bare hands are how you get cold by the last float.

Quick facts

• Date: Sunday 22 November 2026, the 122nd parade
• Start: 12:30 pm, 45 minutes after the Holly Jolly Fun Run leaves at 11:45 am
• Route: not posted by the organiser on 16 October 2026; the 5 km fun run goes from 300 Bloor St W to Yonge and Wellington
• On television: Citytv and Citytv+; in 2025, live coverage began at 1 pm
• Weather: a normal November high of 8.1°C and low of 2.3°C, sunset at 4:46 pm
• On within: 45 pairs of women's boots, 26 of men's, 309 women's jackets and coats and 399 men's, read 16 October 2026

For the curb, start at the soles

I would start with the Timberland fur lined boot at Utopia, $195 in black gold, because the lining is the point. For a plainer black there is the Stutterheim Patrol Boot at Due West, $225 in leather, and more on the women's boots shelf and the men's boots shelf.

Then a coat past the hips, because a short one rides up every time you lift a child. Canada Goose's Expedition in red, $1,745 for men and $1,695 for women at Due West, is easy for a lost child to spot. In black, the Mackage Jeni-FZ parka is $1,490 for women and the Moose Knuckles 3Q parka $1,395 for men.

Coats are not your problem, with 309 pieces on the women's jackets and coats shelf and 399 on the men's jackets and coats shelf. Gloves are, with 9 on the men's gloves shelf and 8 on the women's gloves shelf, so I would not leave them to the Saturday before. (For the parka itself, the Toronto winter coat guide goes deeper.)

Around a hot cup I would choose padding over polish: the Y-3 Padded Glove at $145 over COOR's pleated leather pair at $185. Finish with a Les Deux toque at Due West, the Signature Beanie at $99 or the embroidered Wayne at $69 in ivory or black.

For the shoulders, mitts before anything

You can stamp your feet. A child on your shoulders sits still for the whole parade, both hands up in the cold. Mitts keep small fingers together, so I would choose them over gloves.

At Due West, the Canada Goose kids' Arctic Down Mitts are $99 in black, and the baby Paw Mitts, also black, are $69. Canada Goose's youth Sawyer crewneck in tan is a warm layer under the coat, but $295 is a lot for a sweater a child will outgrow.

For the runners, silly on top

The Holly Jolly Fun Run goes 5 km along the parade route ahead of the floats, and 2,500 runners are expected.

Runners must be 8 or older, with an adult if 10 or under, and roller blades and pets are not allowed. As for clothes, the organiser tells them to "dress silly", which I read as silly on top and warm underneath.

It started with one float

The first parade, on 2 December 1905, was one float that took Santa from Union Station to the downtown Eaton's store. In 1913 live reindeer from Labrador pulled him, with their own veterinarian and a diet of moss. By 1917 there were seven floats, the biggest a giant swan.

Santa came by air in 1919, landing at the aerodrome on Eglinton Avenue. In the Second World War most costumes were paper, and children watched from office windows along the route.

CBC first televised it in 1952, and in 1976 more than 30 million people across North America watched. Eaton's withdrew in 1982, after 77 years. Ron Barbaro and George Cohon saved it inside three days, forming a not for profit and signing 20 companies to sponsor floats.

This year it is "back on TV on Citytv and streaming on Citytv+", the organiser says. The couch is warmer.

Buy the mitts before the coat: the child on your shoulders has no pocket.

Shops near the route

After the last float, get your fingers back in a shop. Utopia, at 132 Cumberland Street, and WDLT117 are both in Yorkville. The Yorkville shops in within's directory number 31.

The Bloor Street West shops in within's directory come to 7, among them Uppdoo at 916 Bloor St W and Muddy George at 973 Bloor St W. Simons, at 260 Yonge St, and Elite Xchange, at 384 Yonge St, are nearer the finish, among the 8 downtown Yonge shops in within's directory.

Before you go

Last year the parade wove "from Christie Pits to St. Lawrence Market" and started at 12:30, CityNews reported on 20 November 2025. This year's fun run follows the parade route from 300 Bloor St W, at Huron, to Yonge and Wellington, near the finish. The organiser had posted nothing more about the route by 16 October.

The same report had Bloor Street West closed from Christie Street to Avenue Road at 9:30 a.m. Yet the 501, 504, 505, 506, 509 and 510 streetcars ran through gaps in the parade, which is the case for transit. All of it was last year's, so check the organiser's site the week before and arrive with time to find your curb.

Most of these pieces are at Due West, 431 Queen St W, for boutique pickup or delivery. Soles first is also the rule for what to wear to the Royal Winter Fair and any winter day spent standing still.

Common questions

What day is the Santa Claus parade in Toronto?

The 122nd Santa Claus Parade is on Sunday 22 November 2026. Its start should be 12:30 pm, 45 minutes after the fun run leaves at 11:45 am.

What day is the Christmas parade on TV?

It is on Sunday 22 November 2026, live on Citytv and streaming on Citytv+. Coverage began at 1 pm last year, and this year's time was not posted on 16 October.

In what Canadian city celebrates the parade of Santa Claus?

It is Toronto, where the Original Santa Claus Parade first ran on 2 December 1905. The organiser calls it the longest running children's parade in the world.

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