Cloverdale Santa Claus Christmas Parade December 7 2014

The Cloverdale Santa Claus Parade will be on Sunday, December 7, 2014. The organizers say between 5 and 7pm but the parade only lasts about 45 minutes. Perhaps it just depends on where you stand on the route, but its not a huge route.


The parade consists of big truck rigs decorated with lights and Christmas decorations. Plus there'll be a lot of local business and organizations taking part in the parade. The parade finale is Santa Claus, who gets off at Hawthorne Square on 176th Street between 57th and 58th Avenue and lights the Christmas tree atop the Dale Building across the street. This is normally the most populated place on the route to find a spot. If you want to get up close with Santa, arrive early to scope out a spot on 176th Street. Don't forget a donation for the food bank. Volunteers will be walking the parade route collecting them.


Signs are up on street posts around downtown Cloverdale warning of no parking between 2 and 7pm. The closer you get to 176th Street the harder it will be to find a parking spot and you'll get snarled in traffic. I've seen traffic backed up for a block because people waited for the last minute to show up and look for parking. Plan on arriving by 4pm to get a parking spot and find a place on the street to watch the parade.


The parade route begins at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. Don't look there for parking because Fraser Downs has Sunday afternoon racing and usually the parking lot is full. The parade leaves the fairgrounds and goes south along 177B Street. At 58th Avenue the parade turns west and proceeds to 176th Street. At 176th the parade turns south and ends around 57th Avenue. The trucks head west to the Cloverdale Bypass and then back to the fairgrounds.


Don't look for parking at the old Cloverdale Mall between the Cloverdale Bypass and 176th Street, and 57th and 58th Avenues. Its fenced in while construction workers do .... nothing. Its a vacant lot and will likely stay like that for years. However there is very limited street parking in the alley behind 176th. The public parking lots are at: 56A Avenue, just west of 176th Street behind the fire station; or 176A Street near 57th Avenue (behind the old Clova Theatre) or beside the Bank of Montreal parking lot; and further down 176A at 58A Avenue. Between the 3 lots there are only about 150 or so parking spaces. You'll have to look for street parking on 176A Street, or east of 176A down 57th and 56A Avenues. There are street closures in effect where the parade route takes place so don't wait till the last minute to show up in Cloverdale to look for a parking spot.

Cloverdale Santa Claus Parade - Sunday, December 8, 2013

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.

Christmas Lights going up around Cloverdale

Christmas lights are being hung in downtown Cloverdale. Some of the Christmas lights have been set up on 176th Street and in Hawthorne Square. Several trees on the main street have been decorated and Hawthorne Square has red Christmas lights strung up and some wreaths.

The workers will be finishing the lights by the end of November in preparation for the Santa Claus Parade.

Santa Parade of Lights on Sunday December 2, 2012

The Christmas lights are starting to go up around Cloverdale and you know what that means. The Santa Parade is almost here!

 

The Santa Parade of Lights is on Sunday, December 2, 2012 and starts around 5pm out of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds on 60^th Avenue. The parade will go down 176A Street, turn west on 58A Avenue and then along 176^thStreet. It sort of peters out at 57^th Avenue and the trucks and floats head onto the Cloverdale Bypass and they’re gone. Probably back to the staging area at the fairgrounds for take down.

Here’s the scoop on parking. Get to Cloverdale no later than 4:30 on Sunday afternoon. Streets are being closed and you will end up in a traffic nightmare trying to find a way out and a place to park. The old (demolished) Cloverdale Mall site still has plenty of parking. Access the parking lot from 57^th Avenue off the Cloverdale Bypass. You can also try to access it off the Cloverdale Bypass at 58^th Avenue but no telling when the volunteers will shut down 58^th. There is on street parking on 56A Avenue, 57^th Avenue, and 58^th Avenue east of 176A Street. There is on street parking on 177B Street. There are 2 public parking lots on 176A Street – one near 58A Avenue, the other at the backside of the Clova Theatre, between 57^th and 58^th Avenues next to the Bank of Montreal.

For viewing, the best place if you want to see Santa Claus light up the Christmas tree on top of the Dale Building is around Hawthorne Square on 176^th Street, midway between 57^th and 58^thAvenues. 176^th Street is crowded with the most spectators. I like to watch the parade on 58A Avenue where its less crowded. At least until the people searching for a spot on 176^th Street discover its got lots of openings, and then it gets jammed. If there are too many people, head north along 176A Street to find a good viewing spot.

Bring a non-perishable item. Volunteers from the food bank will be picking up donations.

 

Cloverdale Santa Parade of Lights 2011

For those of you who missed Cloverdale's Santa Parade of Lights this year, here are a few shots of some of the well decorated big rigs.

What's happening in Cloverdale during December 2010

Well there's not too much going on in Cloverdale during December 2010 other than the Santa Claus Parade. The Santa Parade of Lights is on Sunday December 5 on 176th Street starting at 5:30pm. The parade starts in the fairgrounds, makes its way down 176A street to 58A Avenue then along 176th Street down mainstreet Cloverdale. Once it hits Highway 10 they double back on the Cloverdale Bypass and return to the fairgrounds or they go home. Its kind of interesting watching the trucks blend in with the regular traffic. For more information check out the web page here.

On Saturday December 11 the Cloverdale Legion is holding a pancake breakfast from 8am to 11:30am. $4.50 gets pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee, tea, and orange juice. On Sunday December 12, the Legion is having breakfast with Santa, same price same menu. 9am to 11:30am.

Don't forget to stop by Potter's on the corner of 192 Street and 48th Avenue to wander around their Christmas store. Or stop by at night to admire their lights.

Photos from Cloverdale's Santa Parade 2009

It was below freezing on Sunday night, December 6. Plus a blowing wind, dropping the temperature even further. Despite the chill, there was a huge turn out for the Santa Claus Parade. A great turn out of floats and some of the big rigs did a fantastic job of Christmas displays.

We found a sheltered alcove by Mason's furniture and I hopped up on the planter to take photos. Really tough to get a focus due to the moving lights.