Holiday parades across the Maritimes cancelled, postponed due to weather

Santa Claus parades across the Maritimes are being rescheduled or cancelled due to a forecast that includes heavy rain and high winds for Saturday.

In Amherst, N.S., the Christmas Parade planned has been rescheduled for Sunday evening.

HALIFAX'S PARADE OF LIGHTS

According to a news release from SaltWire, the title sponsor of Halifax’s Parade of Lights, the event has been postponed for the first time in its history. It will now take place on Nov. 25.

“It’s not an easy decision to make, given all of the planning and logistics that goes into this event,” said parade organizer Leo Gosse in the news release.

“But, in the interest of making sure everyone is safe, it’s the right thing to do.”

A Special Weather Statement has been issued for the province of Nova Scotia by Environment Canada, with heavy rain and high winds expected Saturday, the original date of the Halifax parade.

“Although Santa is arriving a little later this year due to the storm, I’m excited we’ll still be able to put on this important event for families,” Gosse added.

SAINT JOHN SANTA CLAUS PARADE

In Saint John, N.B., the Santa Claus Parade scheduled for Saturday has been cancelled.

A post on Facebook Thursday morning says the heavy rain and high winds forecasted for Saturday are a safety issue that can’t be fixed.

Blaine Harris, the chair of the Saint John Region Santa Claus Parade Committee, says he met with police and the city Thursday and everyone agreed the best call was to cancel.

“The forecast for us is 5 mm of rain per hour, with winds as high as 75 km/h,” Harris says. “I wouldn’t put anybody on a float and run them up and down King Street, or any other street in the city for that matter. The safety factor for someone falling off a float and getting killed would be huge.”

There is no alternate date scheduled for the event. Harris says while it may not seem difficult, the event simply can’t be moved.

“Most of the floats that are in the Santa Claus Parade scheduled for Saturday, those trucks are on the road Sunday heading out west or heading to Newfoundland or even down south. These people are donating their time for the Santa Claus Parade. And when they are done, they unload that float and load up the cargo they are taking, and then they are gone for another week.”

Harris also says it would be difficult to reschedule police and city staff.

“To come out on a Sunday, if that was one of the alternative dates, they have to have staff available. The commitment of those people for Saturday, those people have plans and other activities panned for Sunday. To switch a parade date by one day may sound easy, but logistically it is impossible,” he says.

Organizers say they will look into adding alternative dates moving forward to avoid future cancellations.

In the meantime, people are encouraged to attend other parades in the area the following Saturday.

The Lancaster Santa Claus Parade is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Nov. 25 in the west side of Saint John. The KV (Kennebecasis Valley) Santa Claus Parade is scheduled for 6 p.m. the same day.

Organizers say the Lancaster parade has already increased to have a total of 40 entries due to the cancelled Saint John parade and the Kennebecasis Valley parade has extended applications until Monday.