Get out the carol songbook, prep the gingerbread and hot cocoa and start shuffling along to the sound of A Charlie Brown Christmas – Yellowknife’s 2026 Santa Claus parade theme is “fun old-fashioned family holiday.”
No, you will not be asked to play a game of Monopoly for four hours before a sibling wrecks the board in tears.
Instead, the city says the theme is an invitation to “revisit the holiday traditions we grew up with, share what makes the season special and create new memories for the next generation.”
(To be clear, you can still play Monopoly should you wish. But have you seen Isle of Cats?)
The 2026 Santa Claus parade starts at 5pm on Saturday, November 21, giving Santa a solid month-plus to get on with wrapping your presents in peace once festivities conclude.
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You, your business or your community group have until 5pm on November 20 to register a float.
Cabin Radio will broadcast the whole thing live with the help of the Grinch, who has co-hosted our show for the past two years.
“Traditions don’t continue simply because we’ve always done them. They continue because people find meaning in them and choose to pass them along,” city manager Stephen Van Dine was quoted as saying in a news release, apparently talking about the parade theme and not the tradition of providing quotes in press releases that you can guarantee were not actually said out loud.
“The Santa Claus Parade is one of those occasions where every generation has a part to play, from families attending for the first time to those who return year after year. That’s how a community builds something that lasts.”
There will be prizes for the most festive floats. The Roland Gosselin Ho Ho Ho Award, named for one of Santa’s finest assistants, honours the non-profit “that best captures the holiday spirit.”
The parade runs from City Hall along 53 Street, north on Wıìlıìdeh Avenue and east along 49 Street. Expect downtown road closures from 3pm onward.
