Canadian Theme For Decorating A Float For Christmas

Santa Claus is Coming To Town

You may be surprised that the Santa Claus Parade is a not-for-profit organization. The Santa Claus Parade has been spreading joy for over 100 years, and has been made possible through the help of thousands of volunteers and sponsors since the first parade in 1905.

If we are to keep this great Canadian national treasure alive, we need your support now, more than ever. Please make a donation of any amount, so we can keep this great tradition going!

So much work goes into producing such an awesome event. Check out what we're up to behind the scenes.

Our Board Members

Peter Beresford

Chair of the Board

Volunteer Chairman, CEO and Board Member since 1983

Chairman of Funding Innovation Inc, an art/easel program across Canada that raises millions of dollars for Charity

Former Global Executive with McDonalds Corp. for 31 years. Former Chairman and CEO for McDonalds UK and Executive Vice President for McDonalds Canada and Japan

Mike Bartlett

Vice-Chair of the Board

President & CEO of Canada Basketball

Former Vice President of Community Affairs for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and the Executive Director for the MLSE Foundation

Former Vice President of the Oakville Hospital Foundation

Has helped raise over $100 million to support national and local causes and was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal for his work on behalf of MLSE

In 2016 Mike was named MLSE's Coach of the Year recognizing his contributions to the company as a senior leader

Board member since 2016. Personal chauffeur for CEO Elf on parade day!

Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP, with specialties in corporate and North Pole law

Governor, Golf Canada / Royal Canadian Golf Association. Highlights include acting as Official Starter at Men's Canadian Open.

Rino D'Onofrio

Chair, Finance

Current Board member and Celebrity Clown since 2014

Senior Vice President, RBC Insurance

Past Chair, Board of Governors, Junior Achievement of Central Ontario

Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity

Board member since 2017

Former Partner, Managing Director, FUSE

Former Co-Founder CEO BOOM! Marketing

Author, Global Speaker, Advertising & Marketing Prof at George Brown

Jeff Weiss

Chair, Communications

Board member since 2013, Celebrity Clown and Volunteer since 2011

President of Harbinger, a marketing communications agency specializing in brands targeting women

Former marketing executive with Sprint Canada, Danone, Gillette and Pepsi-Cola Canada

Chris Tambakis

Chair, Celebrity Clowns

CEO, North America of Adgar investments & Development Inc., an owner of office properties with holdings in Canada, Israel and Europe

Celebrity Clown since 2004 and Board Member since 2015

Passionate Community Volunteer with organizations including The Heart & Stroke Foundation, Ivey Business School and The Ontario Science Centre

Partner / Chief Strategy Officer – The Hive

As an internationally awarded strategist, Dustin has helped brands realize their next stage of growth through a deep understanding of cultural and analytical rigor

15+ years leading business and creative strategy for some of the world's most notable global brands

Volunteer Board Member for over 20 years

VP of Partnership/Development New Franchise Media Inc

Former Sr. VP of Marketing for Warner Bros Canada

Santa Claus Parade board member since 2015

Member of the Santa Claus Parade Broadcast Committee

Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships at Senators Sports & Entertainment

A sports and entertainment business professional with over 14 years of sales and marketing experience in 5 different professional sports leagues (NHL, NBA, MLS, AHL, and CFL)

VP Corporate Citizenship at Canada Goose

Experience in financial, technology and consumer goods sectors as well as a highly motivated leader

Specialties include: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Governance, Public Affairs, Government Relations, Public Relations, Communications

Board member since 2018

Executive Vice President and Partner – XMC Sponsorship and Experiential Marketing Agency

25+ years of experience in the sports marketing, music and event industry

A proven industry leader who has negotiated countless sponsorships and developed and executed some of the largest events in Canada

Board member since 2018

HR Business Partner at TD

Leader in multiple HR disciplines including Talent Acquisition, Sourcing Strategies, Employee Relations and Transformational Change Management

President of McCann Canada and 20 year veteran of the Canadian advertising business

Has helped clients across pretty much every industry achieve their marketing goals across pretty much every form of marketing

Board member of the Institute of Communications Agencies

Founders

Ron Barbaro

Founded the Parade Organization in 1982 with George Cohon

Served as a Member of the Board and Co-Chairman from 1982 to 2014

Founded the Celebrity Clowns in 1983

Retired from the Board of Directors in 2014

George Cohon

Honourary Chairman

Founded the Parade Organization in 1982 with Ron Barbaro

Served as a Member of the Board and Co-Chairman from 1982 to 2014

Retired from the Board of Directors in 2014

Honorary Directors

Ray Biggart

Served as an original Member of the Board from 1982 to 2013

Served as Secretary of the Board from 1982 to 2010

Retired from active duty on the Board in 2013 and was named Honourary Director

Eric Conroy

Served as a Director of the Organization for 28 years from 1984 to 2012

Served as Executive Vice President and Director of Sales and Sponsorship from 2008 to 2012

Retired from active duty on the Board in 2012 and was named Honourary Director

Jeffrey Griffiths

Served as a Director of the Parade for 30 years from 1987 to 2017

Served as Vice President Administration and Finance during that period

Retired from active duty on the Board in 2017 and was named Honorary Director

Alfred Iannarelli

Started with the Parade as a summer student in 1970

Has been the General Manager/Creative Director overseeing designs since 1983

Volunteer Chair of Seneca College's Visual Merchandising Advisory Board for 15 years

Emeritus

Peter Labbett

Peter Labbett was a Founding Board Member and helped create the Not-for-Profit Organization called the Original Santa Claus Parade

He served as a Director for 24 years, until he passed away in 2006

He loved seeing the diverse crowd of people who came to watch the Parade and in particular, the smile on the faces of all the children in the crowd

Ross Morton

Celebrity Clown for 22 years and Board Member 3 years

Advisor, mentor, forensic expert and re-assurer to the life insurance industry

Farm boy from Harriston, Ontario

Scott Sutherland

Scott Sutherland was a serial entrepreneur and investor who graduated with a degree in Business & Urban Development finance at the University of Western Ontario

Scott was a proud Celebrity Clown and Santa Claus Parade Board Member for 2 years

Staff

Clay Charters

President & CEO

14 years of experience in the marketing, partnership and event management fields.

Experience building and executing programs for not for profit clients such as Bridgepoint Health Foundation, Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation, Scarborough Hospital Foundation and the SickKids Foundation.

Committed to leading and growing teams that deliver unique experiences and exceed the expectations of clients, partners, volunteers and attendees.

Becky Conroy

Director of Business Development

Passionate kids content creator and sales professional with over 20 years of experience.

Santa Claus Parade Board member from 2010-2018.

Parade History

2020 COVID-19 Production

COVID-19 Production

2020 marked a historic year that had the team working on all cylinders to put on the very first made-for-tv production of the parade to adhere to social distancing rules. The production was filmed at Canada's Wonderland and featured musical performances by Kelly Clarkson, Brett Eldredge, Meghan Trainor, Shaggy, Aviva Mongillo, Toronto Smyphony Orchestra, and Dolly Parton! Over 25 floats lit up under the spectacular lights of Winterfest at Canada's Wonderland. The Parade saw record viewership and was available via streaming services days after to keep holidays bright. It was a year to remember as we worked hard to put smiles on everyone's faces through a very difficult time.

1995 100 Years of Smiles

100 Years of Smiles

Today, there are more than 25 animated floats with themes ranging from Harry Potter to Hockey Night in Canada. More than 200 Celebrity Clowns lead the Parade and raise about $200,000 annually, while around 2,000 costumed participants march happily through Toronto's streets. Toronto police asked Parade organizers to extend the route by one mile in order to spread out the crowds of spectators. Toronto's Santa Claus Parade is the longest running children's Parade in the world, broadcast across North America, as far away as New Zealand, Norway and Ireland.

1989 The Russian Connection

The Russian Connection

Between 1989 and 1991, the Santa Claus Parade formed an alliance with Russia (the Soviet Union) just as the Soviet era was coming to a close. In 1989, two Soviet broadcasters, Herman Solomatin and Tetyana Vedenyeva provided on-the-spot coverage of the Parade, which was broadcast to 250 million viewers in the Soviet Union via the Gosteleradio Network. Based on this interest, Russia was invited to participate in the Parade in 1991.

1985 Turning the Lights On

Turning the Lights On

The lights around Queen's Park Circle were lit early for the Parade for the first time in 1985. Now there is an annual tree lighting ceremony in downtown Toronto during the days leading up to the Santa Claus Parade.

1982 Barbaro and Cohon save the Parade

Barbaro and Cohon save the Parade

Eaton's announced it was withdrawing from sponsorship of the Parade after 77 years. Within three days, Ron Barbaro and George Cohon formed a not-for-profit Organization and became Co-Chairmen and Founders. Together, they signed 20 Companies to sponsor floats in the first year. The tradition of the Celebrity Clowns began in 1983, when more than 60 Executives paid $ 1,000 each to hand out balloons, march and entertain kids along the Parade route.

1980 The Parade Goes Global

The Parade Goes Global

1980 marked the 75th anniversary of the Parade and 1,700 volunteers participated in the 'Parade Salute', a special theme to mark the year. The Parade featured floats for Canada's major regions, including the Prairies, the Yukon, the West and East coasts. Punkinhead lead a float carrying children from 24 countries to honour the International Year of the Child.

1976 Popularity Demands Longer Route

Popularity Demands Longer Route

More than 30 million people across North America watched the Eaton's Santa Claus Parade on television. In 1976, there were 33 small and large floats in the Parade, with room for more than 200 children on the floats and 500 marchers. The route was lengthened to 7.5 miles to allow for larger crowds.

1957 The Parade Grows

The Parade Grows

There were 13 large floats in the 1957 Parade and nearly 20 smaller floats with two horse-drawn carriages. Two thousand people marched in the Parade that year, with the majority from Metropolitan Toronto Secondary Schools led by 30 teacher Parade marshals. The Parade was six miles long and began at 8:30AM – after two solid hours of makeup and dressing

1950 Santa on the Small Screen

Santa on the Small Screen

By 1950, the Eaton's Santa Claus Parade was the largest in North America and was first televised on CBC in 1952. For years after that, the Parade was filmed and packaged for schools with professional narration by such well-known broadcasters as Byng Whitteker and Don Harron.

1948 'Punkinhead' is Born

'Punkinhead' is Born

In 1948 Eaton's published a children's book called Punkinhead, the Sad Little Bear. It was about a teddy bear who wanted to be in the Santa Claus Parade. Eaton's published several books of Punkinhead's adventures, as well as colouring books, records and television commercials. He was so well-known that children cheered him when he marched in the Parade.

1939 World War Spirit

World War Spirit

During World War II when materials were scarce, most of the Parade costumes were made of paper. A big draw during this period was for children to watch the Parade from office buildings along the route. All the windows facing South were crowded with children, including the Park Plaza Hotel (today's Park Hyatt).

1929 Escape from Depression Doldrums

Escape from Depression Doldrums

This was the year Santa arrived by air. He touched down on the Aerodrome on Eglinton Avenue, seven years before Lindbergh arrived in Paris. He was to be pulled by horses with outriders dressed as lions. However, the horses balked at the costumes worn by the outriders and were subsequently banned from the Parade.

1925 A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities

To escape from the realities of the Great Depression, families pressed their ears to the radio. Starting in the early 1930s, CFRB radio began broadcasting a month of dramatic programming that followed Santa's journey from the North Pole to Toronto. By the time the Parade took place, children and adults alike were beyond excitement. Santa brought with him a magic and mystery that gave everyone hope.

1919 Air Santa

Air Santa

1917 Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather

By this time, the Parade had seven floats starring nursery rhyme characters. The biggest float that year was a giant swan carrying a band of musicians and clowns, with Santa in the centre of it all. Mother Goose also became a Parade tradition, taking newer more elaborate forms each year.

1913 Historic Hooves

Historic Hooves

Eaton's arranged for Santa to be pulled by live reindeer, which had been imported from Labrador specifically for the Parade. The reindeer had a dedicated veterinarian who looked after them and supplied their special diet of moss. Following the Parade, the reindeer retired to the property of an Eaton's Executive outside Toronto. That year, children along the route started to march through the city along with Santa, stopping to dance and sing as they went. They dropped letters to Santa into baskets on poles carried by bearers. Every letter with an address received a personal response from Santa.

1905 The Very First Parade

The Very First Parade

The first Santa Claus Parade was held on December 2, 1905 and was sponsored by Eaton's department store. In this premiere Parade - one float picked up Santa from Union Station and delivered him to the downtown Toronto Eaton's store.

2021 Santa Claus Parade Sponsors

The parade wouldn't be possible without the support of our amazing Partners & Sponsors.

MARKETING / PUBLICITY PARTNERS