Santa Claus Arrives in Kingston, Twice

In the Kingston area, there are two Santa Claus parades. The first in the middle of November takes place in Amherstview, a quiet bedroom community immediately to the west of the city of Kingston. The big Kingston parade takes place a week later.

Santa arrives in Kingston

Santa, of course, arrives at the end of both parades. And both parades feature many of the same groups and floats. But there are differences. The Amherstview parade takes place during the day, while the Kingston parade takes place after dusk. In Kingston, thousands of people crowd along the parade route along Princess Street, while in Amherstview, spectators can enjoy a more relaxing event.

A clown at the Amherstview Santa Claus parade

So far, since moving back to Kingston, we've been to both parades for both 2010 and 2011. Here are some more of my observations: First, the clowns in the Kingston parade are noticeable by their utter absence. No clowns? How can you have a parade with no clowns? Second, the Kingston parade is much more commercial, and loud.

Holding the parade at night is an interesting twist. The Kingston parade ends up at City Hall, and Santa helps with the official lighting of the Christmas tree in the market square. This year, we watched the parade at the corner of King and Princess, so we saw how popular the Christmas tree lighting was.

Considering that both parades feature much the same content, I'm surprised that more people don't attend the Amherstview parade. It's less noisy and less commercial, and it's easier to find a parking place on a side street close to the parade route. In a way, the Amherstview is Kingston's best kept secret of the holiday season. On the other hand, many Kingstonians like a good downtown party.