Toronto Santa Claus Parade volunteer recalls nearly 50 years walking in the annual spectacle - Toronto Star

Preparations are underway for 122nd edition of the parade on Nov. 22.

Santa’s workshop was filled with new and returning hand-painted floats with Santa and Mrs. Claus on hand.

Surrounded by racks of animal costumes, outfits in shimmering finishes and hundreds of hats, Craig McRae remembers his first time volunteering at the Original Santa Claus Parade at age 11.

Now in his 50s, McRae carries on the tradition started by his father, George, as a band co-ordinator as he prepares for the 122nd edition, scheduled for Nov. 22.

McRae recalled walking the parade as a child. If a drummer dropped a drumstick or lost their sheet music, he had a bag of supplies ready to go.

“My whole life in the parade, I just remember always working or walking in the parade. I’ve never actually been sitting on the sidelines as a kid,” he said, adding that 2026 is his 48th year volunteering at the parade.

When McRae is not at the warehouse surrounded by floats and looking after the parade’s planning, he runs an ATM company and is also a musician.

McRae coordinates about 2,000 marching band members across 16 bands, keeping them on the route, telling them which way to go.

A preview of the Star’s float for the 122nd Toronto Santa Claus Parade.

McRae will be ready to go on parade day, running the new route which starts at 10:30 a.m. at Christie Pits and ends at St. Lawrence Market at Jarvis Street.

“I was always his right-hand man,” said McRae. “My father always said it best, run it (the parade) like a military operation where everything is perfect.”

The route changed because of construction, said president and chief executive officer Clay Charters, who has run the annual tradition since 2018.

What keeps organizers coming back after so many years, he said, is the delight on people’s faces.

“It’s the reason we do it, it’s the reason that people keep coming back and it motivates us to put on a great show every year,” said Charters.

New and returning hand-painted floats were on display for a media preview Santa’s Workshop in Toronto, November 5, 2026.

Organizers expect more than 750,000 spectators for the 23 floats, nine of them debuting this year, plus bands and performers from across Canada.

The parade, a registered charity, runs a 25,000-square-foot warehouse where it builds and stores its floats, at a cost of more than $2 million, said Charters.

For Santa Claus, the best part of the parade is interacting with the public.

“Being in the sleigh and interacting with crowds is wonderful. For me, the most poignant part is meeting with people individually,” he said.

For Mrs. Claus, the parade is a Toronto tradition.

“Everyone is invited. Everyone has a good time. They can’t help but smile. I don’t see anyone along the parade that’s unhappy,” she said.

New floats include Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Circle K, Flair Airlines, Jollibee, Jumanji: Open World, Lego Canada, Playdium, Super Simple Songs and Tim Hortons.

For McRae, walking the parade doesn’t get old.

“Just walking the parade, with the band, and singing along, waving at the crowd, and being amazed, walking down the crowd and seeing tens of thousands of people that are so happy,” McRae said. “It was a great memory, and I still feel that way.”

Beatriz Baleeiro is a staff reporter with the Toronto Star. Reach her via email: bbaleeiro@torstar.ca