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Dropping off participants

  • Parade participants must be at Joe Sam’s by 5:00PM in order to ensure their safety. After 5:00PM, you will have to park your car in the south parking lot and walk to their float, and it will be a rush to ensure that your participant doesn’t miss out.
  • Floats will be leaving Joe Sam’s to stage on Centre Rd beginning at 5:45 which is why they need to be there for 5, and Memorial Park is directly on the route and plans for bands and dancers merge with floats starting at 6:00PM.
  • Leaving the park after you drop off your participant (as all roads close at 6:00PM) will be difficult if it is after 5:00PM. The parade route starts over 1KM south of Joe Sam’s (long walk) and Memorial Park is on the route, and so you will be directed away from the route and forced to find a spot where there is space.
  • It is a night parade; it is dark even though we have portable lighting in all parks. These timelines are to keep everyone SAFE.

Things to remember
  • It is cold waiting for the parade to start, dress accordingly. Brings blankets to sit on and to wrap up in.
  • There are a few washrooms available at both parks, however there are also hundreds of participants in each of the parks (perhaps limit the liquids?).
  • It is dark, things get left behind – perhaps leave the favourite or valuable items at home. We do not have a lost and found.
  • The parade is run by community volunteers – please respect them as they are doing all that they can do to keep everyone safe while providing a memorable event for over 40,000 people.

Picking up your participant

Joe Sam’s

Enter Centre Rd from 5th Concession at the end of the parade. Centre Rd will be closed until 9pm at the south parking lot entrance; however there will be police and security volunteers to assist you in accessing the park and picking up your participant(s). You will be forced to go back up (north) on Centre Rd until the roads open safely at the end of the night.

Memorial Park

Walking into the park after the performance, or the band is finished, is permitted, to escort the participant out of the park (by foot). Vehicles are not permitted to leave or enter the park until the roads are open and the parade has finished.