More participants are still needed for the annual Santa Claus parades in Saint John, according to organizers.
The uptown parade takes place on Nov. 16 followed by the Lancaster parade one week later on Nov. 23.
Zach Richard said 36 participants have signed up for the uptown parade, compared to around 45 last year.
However, they only have nine floats currently signed up for the Lancaster parade on the west side.
“It’s usually around 30-ish, so it’d be nice if we could get it up to 30,” Richard told our newsroom.
“We need to get that number up so we can get people more excited for the only daytime parade in the province.”
Richard said he believes there are a couple of reasons why people have been slow to register for the parades.
“I think a lot this year has to do with people being so busy and everything going on, they haven’t had time really to think about it,” he said.
Richard also acknowledged hiccups with last year’s uptown parade, which had to be cancelled at the last minute due to rain.
He said it is challenging to have a rain date, noting that many truck drivers pulling the floats have donated their time for the weekend.
“That truck driver who’s given up that weekend, now he has a load going say to Toronto the next week, it’s not easy for him to just flip the switch and change around,” said Richard.
Some people have also raised concerns about the $120 entry fee that some participants are charged to take part.
Organizers have said the fee is intended for commercial businesses, while entries from not-for-profit and community organizations are exempt.
The funds gathered cover parade insurance and policing costs, and provide travel donations to the bands. Any remaining funds are donated to the local food bank.
Richard said while there is still plenty of time before the Nov. 8 registration deadline, they would like to see people sign up sooner rather than later.
