The Santa Claus Parade is taking over Ste. Catherine Street this month (PHOTOS)

Once the Santa Claus Parade comes to town, it’s the official launch of the holiday season in Montreal.

Returning for its 68th edition, the extravagant parade will take over the historic Ste. Catherine Street from rue Fort and rue Saint-Urbain with an enchanting, costumed and musical celebration of Christmas.

This year’s parade will feature more than 20 floats that include the ‘Christmas Fairy’ display and of course, the man himself, Santa Claus and his haul of reindeer.

The parade will also feature hundreds of artists, musicians, dancers and street performers, all decked out in holiday garb. This year’s parade will welcome two new additions, a float inspired by winter sports and Quebec’s emblematic winter vehicle, the snowmobile.

Quebec-native celebrities, Annie Villeneuve and Michaël will sing some holiday classics on the Noël une tradition en chanson float, while the well-known singer and host Marie-Eve Janvier will be surrounded by children on the float dedicated to Sainte-Justine’s Tree of Lights campaign.

The Santa Claus Parade, hosted by Anouk Meunier and Patrice Bélanger, will be broadcast on the TVA Network and the Yoopa channel on Sunday, November 18, at 5 pm. Rebroadcasts will take place Sunday, December 2 at 1:30 pm on the TVA Network and Sunday, December 23, at 12:30 pm on the Yoopa channel.

As if you’re not excited enough already, here are some pictures from last year’s parade:

 

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A post shared by Audrey (@audr3ypoiri3r) on Dec 24, 2017 at 10:00pm PST

 

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A post shared by Audrey (@audr3ypoiri3r) on Dec 24, 2017 at 7:46am PST

 

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A post shared by Cégep de Saint-Jérôme (@cegepsaintjerome) on Nov 19, 2017 at 9:34am PST

 

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A post shared by Audrey (@audr3ypoiri3r) on Nov 18, 2017 at 2:53pm PST

 

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A post shared by Sébastien Benoit (@sebbenoit72) on Nov 18, 2017 at 10:29am PST

 

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A post shared by aureline91 (@aureline91) on Nov 18, 2017 at 8:50pm PST

 

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A post shared by Flor en Montreal (@flor_enmontreal) on Nov 18, 2017 at 3:55pm PST

 

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A post shared by N E-L 📱 (@iwebnel) on Nov 18, 2017 at 2:23pm PST

 

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A post shared by Thalia DG (@thalia.dg) on Nov 18, 2017 at 11:37am PST

Santa Claus Parade

When: Saturday, November 17
Time: 11 am – 1:30 pm
Where: Ste. Catherine Street (between rue Fort and Saint-Urbain)
Price: Free

See also

• A FREE magical Nutcracker Market returns to Montreal next month
• A traditional FREE German Christmas market is coming to Montreal this month
• Montreal's 'Christmas Display' house is going full Disney this year
• Canada's magical Christmas train confirms it will return to Montreal this year