As the song says, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
The first Santa Claus parade in our part of Ontario takes place Nov. 18 in St. Marys.
Some of the biggest parades – the ones in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge and Woodstock – run the following day.
Christmas parade season continues over the next four weekends, wrapping up with an event in Alma on Dec. 18.
You can expect to find kids jingle-belling and caroling out in the snow at most of the festivities, although scary ghost stories may be harder to come by.
Here’s all the information we could find about 43 parades covering Waterloo Region, Wellington County, Guelph, Brant County, Brantford, Oxford County and Perth County.
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Aberfoyle (Puslinch): Sunday, Nov. 27, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., starting at the township office on Wellington Road 34 and going east to Brock Road, then south on Brock to the Puslinch Community Centre
Alma: Sunday, Dec. 18
Arthur: Saturday, Nov. 26 and running along Main Street
Atwood: Saturday, Dec. 10, starting at 7 p.m. and running along Main Street
Ayr: Saturday, Nov. 26, starting at 1 p.m. on Stanley Street
Baden: Saturday, Dec. 3, starting at 1:30 p.m. and travelling down Snyder’s Road to Mill Street
Brantford: Saturday, Nov. 26, starting at 6 p.m. and running down Dalhousie Street from Stanley Street, ending at Harmony Square
Bright: Saturday, Dec. 3, starting at 2 p.m.
Burford: Saturday, Dec. 10, starting at 5 p.m.
Burgessville: Saturday, Dec. 17, starting at 6:30 p.m. and running eastward on Highway 59 from Deer Crescent to Malcolm’s Excavating
Cambridge: Saturday, Nov. 19, starting at 6 p.m. and travelling along Hespeler Road from Dunbar Road to Langs Drive/Sheldon Drive
Cambridge (Hespeler): Saturday, Dec. 3, starting at noon and running along Queen Street, ending at Tannery Street
Clifford: Saturday, Nov. 26, starting at 7 p.m. and running along Main Street
Drayton: Friday, Dec. 2
Elmira: Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. until noon, running along Arthur Street
Elora: Saturday, Nov. 26, in the downtown beginning at 6:15 p.m. and running along Geddes, Metcalfe and East Mill
Erin: Saturday, Nov. 26, starting at 1:30 p.m. and running along Main Street
Fergus: Saturday, Dec. 3, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Guelph: Sunday, Nov. 20, starting at 1:30 p.m. at Powell and Norfolk streets, then running up Norfolk to Quebec Street and down Quebec to Wyndham Street, finishing up at Wyndham and Carden
Harriston: Saturday, Nov. 26
Ingersoll: Saturday, Nov. 19, starting at 11 a.m. at Wilson and Mutual streets, then along Mutual, St. Andrews Street, Thames Street, Canterbury Street, Wellington Avenue and Cross Street, ending at Harrisfield School
Innerkip: Saturday, Dec. 10, starting at 6 p.m. and running on Blandford Street from Currah Lane to past George Street
Kitchener (and Waterloo): Saturday, Nov. 19, starting at 10:30 a.m. at King and Cedar streets, then following the Oktoberfest Parade route up King to Victoria Street, along Victoria to Weber Street, and up Weber to Bridgeport Road
Listowel: Saturday, Nov. 26, starting at 7 p.m.
Milverton: Friday, Dec. 9, starting at 7 p.m. and running along Main Street
Mitchell: Friday, Dec. 2, from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Monkton: Saturday, Dec. 3, starting at 6:30 p.m. and running along Main Street
Moorefield: Saturday, Dec. 3
Mount Forest: Friday, Dec. 2, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
New Hamburg: Sunday, Dec. 4, starting at 6 p.m. at the Bleams Road exit from Norm Hill Park
Norwich: Saturday, Dec. 3, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., running along Stover Street and Main Street
Palmerston: Saturday, Dec. 3
Paris: Saturday, Dec. 3, starting at 6 p.m.
Puslinch (Aberfoyle): Sunday, Nov. 27, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., starting at the township office on Wellington Road 34 and going east to Brock Road, then south on Brock to the Puslinch Community Centre
Rockwood: Thursday, Dec. 8, starting at 7 p.m. on the Fifth Line just north of the village, then heading south to the stop light, west on Highway 7 and north on the Fourth Line by 7:40 p.m.
Shakespeare: Saturday, Dec. 10, starting at 1 p.m.
St. Clements: Saturday, Dec. 17
St. George: Saturday, Dec. 10, starting at 6 p.m.
St. Marys: Friday, Nov. 18, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. with the parade running along Queen Street from James Street through the downtown core
Stratford: Sunday, Nov. 27, with the first floats arriving at the Kiwanis Community Centre at 4:50 p.m. and the last floats arriving at City Hall at 6:15 p.m.
Tavistock: Saturday, Nov. 26, starting at 1 p.m. and running along Jacob, Hope, William and Woodstock streets
Tillsonburg: Saturday, Nov. 19, starting at 2 p.m. and running along Broadway Street from Oxford Street to John Street
Waterloo (and Kitchener): Saturday, Nov. 19, starting at 10:30 a.m. at King and Cedar streets, then following the Oktoberfest Parade route up King to Victoria Street, along Victoria to Weber Street, and up Weber to Bridgeport Road
Wellesley: Friday, Dec. 9
Woodstock: Saturday, Nov. 19, starting at 6 p.m., along Dundas Street from the fairgrounds to Vansittart Avenue/Highway 59 North
