Crisp temperatures, sunshine greet Santa and his team to Ottawa

Published Nov 18, 2023 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 1 minute read

Santa was, of course, the star of the show Saturday at the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

It was a beautiful day for a sleigh ride Saturday as Santa Claus and his reindeer team took their traditional tour of downtown Ottawa.

It was the 54th year for the Help Santa Toy Parade, and crowds were full along the trek from City Hall, along Laurier to Bank and on to Lansdowne Park.

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Skies were sunny when the parade began and temperatures were crisp, hovering just above 0 C.

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Organizers said there were about 60 floats, including the usual strong representation from first-responder organizations.

Santa and the reindeer headed off for some well-deserved rest before their next gig Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in Barrhaven. Get more details here: https://santaclausbarrhaven.com/

For donations and other information on the Toy Parade, go online to www.toyparade.ca

The City of Ottawa has also compiled a list of seasonal activities in the capital. You can check it out here.

PHOTO GALLERY

It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Three-year-old Raphael Portugaise walked the route with his dad, Pat Portugaise, a firefighter with the Ottawa Fire Service. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Three-year-old Raphael Portugaise walked the route with his dad, Pat Portugaise, a firefighter with the Ottawa Fire Service. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Ottawa police’s K9 West took part in Saturday’s special parade. West is from the National Service Dogs program, which has a mandate to help support victims of crime with the Ottawa Police Service. West is six and a half years old and was the first OPS dog to get an official police badge when he was sworn in, in 2018. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Ottawa Redblacks Richie Leone and Nigel Romick took part in the fun parade on Saturday. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Members of the Ottawa Fire Service and family members took part in Saturday’s parade. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Cameron Taylor, chair of the Help Santa Toy Parade was hyping up the crowd, and showing his own excitement for the big guy in red that was at the end of the parade. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Santa was the star of the show and brought pure joy to the children along the parade route. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia t was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Cameron Taylor, chair of the Help Santa Toy Parade was hyping up the crowd, and showing his own excitement for the big guy in red that was at the end of the parade. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Excited children lined the parade route on Bank Street as the sun shined down on all those participating in the special festive event. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia It was a perfect day for the 54th Help Santa Toy Parade Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe took part in the parade, on a float with city councillors and family members. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia