Thousands of people lined downtown Orillia streets Sunday afternoon for the 2019 Santa Claus Parade.
The popular annual event featured almost 100 festive floats, several marching bands, emergency services vehicles, horses and bikes and, of course, the star of the show, Santa Claus himself, waving to the young and young at heart.
Once again this year, many parade-goers brought non-perishable food items for The Sharing Place Food Centre, while many also brought items for the Simcoe County Paramedic Services' annual toy drive.
Throughout the parade route, volunteers from the Orillia Kiwanis Club accepted donations to help off-set the costs of the massive parade organized by the Orillia and District Chamber of Commerce.
Many of those in the parade handed out candy canes or coupons to those who patiently waited for the lengthy parade to wend its way through city streets.
The fantastic turnout was due, in part, to great weather. Despite a chill in the air, the skies were blue, the sun was out and the atmosphere was festive.
Billed as the largest parade north of Toronto, the event is the unofficial kick-off to the Christmas season. On Friday night, the weekend got off to a festive start when several hundred people participated in the Children's Candlelight Parade and official lighting of the downtown Christmas tree.
