Santa Claus has arrived in Toronto by plane, pulled by horses and at least once pulled by reindeer, but in 2020, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, he’ll be arriving remotely by television.
In a major departure from a tradition that has entertained families for generations, the parade will not wind through Toronto streets cheered on by thousands of children and their parents struggling to keep warm — a quintessentially Canadian experience that kicks off the holiday season in the city.
Instead the event will be staged in a new, closed parade route and broadcast later in a two-hour national television special, organizers officially announced early Friday morning.
“It’s been a tradition for so long, and making it move away from what many Torontonians and Canadians have come to expect of the parade is difficult,” said Clay Charters, president and CEO of the parade.
“On the other side, it was a decision that was certainly made with the interest of public health in mind.”
Charters would not disclose the new location, but said it will provide a safe environment for everyone working on the parade and will preclude the general public from wandering across it.
The parade has not been cancelled since it launched in Toronto in 1905, Charters said.
It was held in 1918 and 1919, as the world fought a flu pandemic that would claim an estimated 20 million to 50 million lives. COVID-19 has killed more than one million people worldwide since it was first detected at the end of 2019.
Toronto announced on Sept. 23 that it , part of its effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Santa Claus parade organizers have been saying since early September , but this this is the first time details of those changes have been shared.
The televised parade will include 20 floats, which viewers will be able to see close-up for the first time. Organizers are promising special musical guests, celebrity appearances, bands playing traditional Christmas songs, and the parade’s iconic celebrity clowns. The show is scheduled to air Saturday, Dec. 5th at 7 p.m. ET on CTV and CTV2.
The parade typically takes place in November.
“Holiday celebrations will look much different this year, but we are committed to delivering a very special edition of the parade to viewers in prime time,” said Mike Cosentino, president, content and programming.
Correction – Oct. 2, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the parade would be broadcast live.
is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:
