Woodstock’s Santa Claus Parade will travel a new route this year, along Houlton and Main Streets to NBCC, with a family after-party at the Woodstock Farm and Craft Market
Santa Claus, a maybe Mrs. Claus, will travel from the North Pole to the South Side of Woodstock on Dec. 1 to be the guest of honour at the Greater Woodstock Chamber of Commerce annual Santa Claus parade.
This year’s route will stick to the south side of the Meduxnekeag, beginning around Larsen’s Electric and the former Save Easy parking lots on Houlton Street.
Starting at 4 p.m., the parade will travel along Houlton Street to Main Street, where it will turn left and end in the NBCC Woodstock parking lot.
“This is to allow for a less steep hill for floats to go down, and also include Lower Woodstock into the festivities for Christmas,” explained parade organizers.
Also new this year is the Santa Claus Parade After Party hosted by Planet Youth Woodstock.
Following the parade, Planet Youth Woodstock leaders and volunteers urge families to head to the Woodstock Farm and Craft Market on King Street for what they describe as “a free evening of fun.”
The event will include a visit from Santa, music from the Martin Boys, cookie decorating, ornament making, barbecue hot dogs, hot chocolate and tea,
The Sunday parade ends a busy Christmas weekend in Woodstock. On Saturday morning, Nov. 30, the NBCC Student Union will host the annual Wake Up Santa event in the college gym from 9 a.m. to noon.
With help from NBCC Woodstock’s Early Childhood Education class and staff, as well as student and community volunteers, the student union plans a full slate of activities for the children.
After helping wake up Santa, children can meet and pose for photos with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, enjoy a wide variety of Christmas crafts and activities with the help of student volunteers, and enjoy hot chocolate.
Admission to Wake Up Santa is free, but organizers urge those attending to donate non-perishable food items to the campus’s Emergency Food Cupboard and the Valley Food Bank.
