Santa Claus Parade will be broadcast-only for 2nd straight year
Posted October 22, 2021 6:25 pm.
Last Updated October 22, 2021 6:39 pm.
For the second consecutive year, Torontonians will miss the opportunity to see Santa in-person.
Organizers of the Santa Claus Parade say the 2021 version will once again be a broadcast-only event as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
President and CEO Clay Charters says the decision was made after “thoughtful discussion and careful consideration of many factors.”
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Charters says that a significant portion of the audience each year is children under the age of 11, all of whom remain unvaccinated. He also says the public event has no way to control access, and therefore makes it difficult to check for vaccination status and enforce physical distancing.
The decision to have no in-person spectators was made several weeks ago using the available health data at that time. Charters says the event takes months to “organize all the volunteers, partners and safety considerations.”
This year’s version will be another made-for-televsion production. Last year’s version was the first time the parade took place in the evening — happening on a closed route at Canada’s Wonderland and coming in the form of a two-hour TV special.
This year’s event will be the 117th annual in Toronto. It will be broadcast on Dec. 4 on CTV.
