Santa Claus is coming to town this weekend

Posted November 12, 2015 9:54 am.

Last Updated November 15, 2015 12:43 pm.

This article is more than 5 years old.

By: Patricia D’Cunha and Amber LeBlanc

Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!

While you may think it is a bit early for Christmas cheer, Santa Claus will disagree with you. And you better not mess with St. Nick.

You better watch out,
You better not cry,
Better not pout,
I’m telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town.

Hundreds of children and their parents will line the streets of Toronto at the Santa Claus Parade on Sunday, waiting for Père Noël’s arrival. If you can’t make the parade, don’t pout: there are other Christmasy events taking place in the city this weekend that are sure to make you leap for joy.

While there is a partial subway closure this weekend, it will be all-clear come Sunday morning – good news for those heading down to the parade.

If that’s not enough holiday spirit, 98.1 CHFI is bringing out the big guns: the station will begin playing Christmas carols at noon on Sunday.

Santa Claus Parade

It’s now official: The 111th Santa Claus Parade means Christmas is just around the corner. For those itching to take out the decorations, now is the time to do so.

Jolly old St. Nick will be flying in to Toronto from the North Pole on Sunday, and he wants you to set aside your snarky and grumpy personality and replace it with warmth and generosity.

Children and adults alike will delight in the 26 floats and 21 marching bands, including a special Raptors one highlighting the NBA All-Star Game that will be played in Toronto in February 2016.

Ahead of the main event, the Holly Jolly Fun Run (5K run) will take over the parade route at 11:50 a.m., ending at Maple Leaf Square.

The parade, which is the largest children’s parade in North America, starts at 12:30 p.m. at Bloor and Christie Streets. The parade then heads down Bloor to Queen’s Park Crescent East, University Avenue, Wellington Street, and ends at Front and Jarvis streets around 3-4 p.m. Click here or see below for the parade route.

Drivers will have to deal with several road closures in Toronto to make way for Santa’s friends and his sleigh. Roads will be closed starting at 8 a.m. Click here for the full list. TTC vehicles will also be on diversion on several routes.

To help revellers get to the parade, GO Transit is offering special trains on its Milton, Kitchener, Barrie and Stouffville lines, on top of its regular service on the Lakeshore line. GO passes to the parade will also be available (children: $5, adults: $10, and group: $20).

If your children will be asking you every minute or so, “Is Santa here yet? Where is Santa? When is Santa coming? What time is Santa coming?,” you can tell him or her exactly where the big man in the red suit is by tracking him on your phone.

Christmas and other events

12 Trees of Christmas
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Marvel in the beauty and splendor of uniquely-decorated trees curated by artists and designers. Now in its 26th year, the exhibit at the Gardiner Museum is one of the joys of the holiday season. This year’s theme captures the future with the creative minds being tasked to re-imagine Christmas trees.

And if you’re in the Bloor Street West and Avenue Road area, stop by the museum’s front plaza to check out its 40-foot Christmas tree. Participating retailers in the city will also display their own trees and the public can vote for their favourite.

Christmas wonderland
With around six weeks to go under Christmas Day, the city is buzzing with fun and friendly activities to get you in the festive spirit.

The Winter Magic extravaganza on Yonge Street in the downtown core will “Illuminite” Yonge-Dundas Square with a big party being held on Saturday to usher in the Christmas season.

The holiday cheer starts at 5 p.m. with high-octane music and aerial performances, followed by the tree-lighting ceremony at 6 p.m.

Also on Saturday, step into a holiday wonderland at Bloor-Yorkville, as the area gets lit up with dazzling lights.

The lighting ceremony at Holiday Magic starts at 5 p.m., and also features performances by Jully Black and the Rosedale Day Choir School.

The event is free, but with a $2 donation you can partake of some refreshments. Money raised goes to Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR).

Rotary Club arts and crafts sale
Get an early jump on Christmas shopping with the Toronto East Rotary Club‘s sixth annual arts and crafts sale. On Saturday at Eastminster United Church on the Danforth, hundreds of artisans will be selling their wares. There will also be live music, face painting for children and a draw. Proceeds raised from the event go to community projects including the church’s “Out of the Cold” program.

Film festivals
Two film festivals are happening this weekend, one a longtime favourite and the other a brand new event in Toronto.

The European Union Film Festival returns for its 11th year with its opening party on Saturday and films running at the Royal on College Street until Nov. 28. The best part is all films are free. Watch the preview here or below.

EUFF 2015 Trailer from euff on Vimeo.

Making its premiere this year is the Syrian Film Festival or SYFF, which starts Friday and runs through Sunday at the Art Gallery of Toronto. The lineup includes documentaries, shorts, and experimental films that tell the stories of Syrians including an Oscar-shortlisted documentary that follows two weeks in the life of a doctor in a Turkish hospital on the Syrian border. An entire festival pass is just $26.06 with single tickets also available. Watch the preview here or below.

Taste of Iceland
One of the world’s most fascinating countries is setting up shop this weekend in Toronto. Experience Icelandic food, music, films and more starting Thursday and running through Sunday during the fifth annual Taste of Iceland. Restaurants including Luma will be showcasing an Icelandic menu and two bands from Iceland will be performing a free concert at Adelaide Hall on Saturday.

TTC closure

Partial Line 1 closure
Another subway closure this weekend? Say it isn’t so! Sorry, can’t do that. But, repeat this to yourself: the better way is being made better, and the closure is only one day long.