This year Cloverdale's Santa Claus Christmas Parade of Lights will be held on Sunday, December 8, 2013 starting at 5pm.
Note: this is one week later from the previously announced date. If you show up in Cloverdale on December 1 you will be disappointed.
They changed the parade route last year and I think they are doing the same route again this year. The parade's staging area is in the Fraser Downs parking lot - the fairgrounds on 60th Avenue. The parade will come out of the parking lot and head south on 177B Street. At 58th Avenue, the parade turns west and continues to 176th Street. The parade continues southbound to 56A Avenue and then turns right or westbound. At this point the parade peters out and goes up the back alley to 57th Avenue and then exits at the Cloverdale Bypass and makes their way back to the fairgrounds. Most people try to get viewing spots on 176th Street especially if they have children who want to meet Santa. It's less crowded along 58th Avenue.
The parade features semi truck rigs decked out in Christmas lights and decorations, many coming from Vancouver Island through the Island Equipment Owners Association. There were also be local trucks in the parade. There will be cars, marching bands, and horses taking part. The highlight is Santa Claus at the end of the parade who will disembark his float at Hawthorne Square on 176th Street, between 57th and 58th Avenues, and will throw the switch to light up the Christmas tree on top of the Dale Building.
Last year there were 3 floats that had Santa Claus so perhaps they'll coordinate a bit better this year!
The food bank will be collecting donations and several merchants and vendors will be selling hot chocolate, hot dogs, cookies, and other treats.
Parking around Cloverdale can be a little tricky. All the above mentioned streets on the parade route will have temporary no parking signs on them. If you've parked in the past at the site of the old Cloverdale Mall, you need to find another place to park. The old mall is under construction and behind a fence. There are still some parking spaces around the Cloverdale Legion on 57th Avenue. Public parking lots are on 176A Street at 58A Avenue, 176A Street at 57A Avenue (behind the Clova Theatre, next to the Bank of Montreal), and in the alley behind 176th Street between 56A Avenue and 57th Avenues behind the firehall. These public parking lots between them hold about 150 cars. The old Cloverdale Super Market (Shop-Easy) that closed down on 176th Street and 58th Avenue has a small parking lot that holds about 20 cars. No one is monitoring the parking there but arrive early before the streets get shut down. There is free street parking around Cloverdale, look at 176A and 177B Streets and all the avenues between those streets and then walk downtown. Streets will be shut down by volunteers so car traffic will undoubtedly get quite jammed up as people arriving at the last minute try to find a place to park. If you want to find a good parking spot, arrive before 4pm. If you arrive late, after 4:30pm, try the parking lot at the fairgrounds and catch the parade as it starts.
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