Return of Santa Claus parade to City Centre in Mississauga a success, says mayor

Only a few weeks removed from the first Santa Claus parade to be held in Mississauga’s downtown core in nearly 25 years, the city’s mayor is already planning an even bigger and better holiday-time event for next year.

The Nov. 22 nighttime parade drew some 40,000 people to the City Centre area next to Square One Shopping Centre to witness 58 floats, five marching bands and hundreds of other participants decked out in festive costumes make their way through the decorated streets surrounding city hall.

Many also turned out for the annual Light Up the Square event at Celebration Square, which was held in conjunction with the main attraction.

Mayor Carolyn Parrish told INsauga.com in a recent interview the turnout for the parade — the first held in the downtown core since 2001 — was about “twice as many people as we expected.”

The mayor, who earlier this year began brainstorming the idea to bring the Santa Claus parade back to the city’s downtown core after an absence of more than two decades, said while she was extremely happy with how things turned out, she already has a few ideas about how to make next year’s parade even better.

Parrish said they’ll do a debrief and see what they can fine-tune for next year’s Christmas spectacle — lessening the traffic impact, increasing the number of floats and “we need more marching bands next year,” the mayor noted.

One thing she won’t change is the impressive, hard work turned in by numerous City of Mississauga staffers who gave of their time to bring the parade, themed “Shine Bright, Sauga,” to life.

“This was truly one of my favourite moments of 2025. I am absolutely thrilled with the incredible turnout and all the wonderful people who came together to make this event so special,” Parrish said in a recent news release from the city. “A heartfelt thank you to our generous sponsors, partners, volunteers and our amazing city staff for their support to bring the parade back downtown. Because of you, the Light Up the Square and Santa Claus parade was a tremendous success, setting the perfect tone for the start of the holiday season in Mississauga. I can’t wait until next year.”

Ward 4 Coun. and Deputy Mayor John Kovac — he and Parrish served as co-parade marshals — said the family holiday event was just what Mississauga needed: “an evening filled with joy, celebration and a touch of Christmas magic.”

A bit of nostalgia for the mayor

The latest Santa Claus parade in Mississauga also struck a bit of a nostalgic chord for Parrish.

Excited by scores of smiling children who lined the parade route, many of them shouting out “Merry Christmas,” and proud that organizers had hit the mark in conjuring up a small-town parade feel in the midst of many large buildings, the mayor said the evening brought her back in time.

“It felt like (when) I used to go to the Santa Claus parade in Ottawa when I was a kid,” Parrish told INsauga.com, “except (Ottawa) was a daytime parade. Nighttime is way better … ”

Starting at Rathburn Road and Living Arts Drive, the parade travelled along Living Arts Drive, turned left onto City Centre Drive and finished at City Centre Drive and Kariya Gate.

As the parade made its way through Celebration Square, Santa Claus lit the towering 35-foot Christmas tree, “filling the area with even more festive spirit,” the city said.

Ward 1 Coun. Stephen Dasko said earlier it was about time a Santa Claus parade returned to Mississauga’s downtown core. He added the holiday event was badly needed to raise people’s spirits.

In its early years decades ago, the Mississauga Santa Claus parade used various routes along sections of both Burnhamthorpe Road and Hurontario Street, ending at Square One.