The Surrey Santa Claus Parade is an annual charity event that takes place in Cloverdale to support the local Food Bank and Christmas Bureau.
The 2019 edition of the parade took place on Sunday, December 1st, which was the same day as the Vancouver Santa Claus Parade. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 event was going to happen in a drive-through, ticketed format on December 5th, but was eventually cancelled.
The parade didn’t happen in 2021 either because of the pandemic. It returned in 2022 and took place on Sunday, December 4th.
LOWER MAINLAND HOLIDAY PARADES
In addition to the event in Surrey, in 2022 there were also Christmas parades in Maple Ridge, Chilliwack and Mission. For details, see our article about Lower Mainland Santa Claus Parades.
Surrey’s Santa Claus Parade of Lights
The Surrey Santa Claus Parade usually takes place on the weekend at the beginning of December each year. It’s free to attend, starts at 5:00 pm, and usually runs for close to two hours.
Celebrating its 15th year, the 2020 event was originally going to be different from normal due to COVID-19. It was scheduled to take place in a drive-through format, but was then cancelled. The Parade of Lights was going to run from 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm, and tickets were not going to be free. There was going to be a charge of $10 per carload, with all proceeds going to local food banks and other good causes. But all this was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Unfortunately, the parade was once again cancelled in 2021. However, it returned on Sunday, December 4th, in 2022, and kicked off at 5:00 pm.
The parade was originally inspired by a commercial from the 1990s. In 1997, Coca Cola ran its lighted truck advertisement for the holidays and it was a huge hit. Parts of the commercial were actually filmed in Cloverdale!
Although the event is free, vendors are sometimes present along the route selling food and items by donation. All proceeds go to the Surrey Food Bank, Surrey Christmas Bureau or Cloverdale Community Kitchen. During the parade vendors accept donations of cash, non-perishable food and gift items.
What To Expect
The parade begins at the corner of 176A Street and 60th Avenue in Surrey and winds through the streets of Cloverdale. The route starts by the Elements Casino, goes along 60th, turns down 177B Street, and then again at 57th Avenue. It then makes its way back to the start along 176th Street, then 58th Avenue and then finally onto 176A Street.
At the event you can usually expect to see lots of trucks, vintage cars, boats and other forms of transportation all decked out in Christmas lights and holiday decorations.
Other Information
Click Surrey Santa Claus Parade or Big Rigs For Kids to learn more about the events in Cloverdale.
To learn more about the area see our article about Surrey.
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