The annual Rotary Christmas Parade will be rolling along a new route this year.
That’s the biggest change for this year’s event which is taking place on Dec. 3 for the first time since 2019, said parade co-ordinator Gail Smit.
The route will begin and end at Chilliwack Secondary School.
In previous years, the start of the parade was at the Landing Sports Centre. But since boulevards were installed along Spadina Avenue, that location is no longer feasible for the route.
This year’s parade will leave the marshalling area at CSS at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. It heads west on Yale Road to Five Corners and then continues onto Wellington Avenue. The parade then goes north on College Street, takes a little jog onto Young Road before heading east on Reece Avenue to go back to CSS.
READ MORE: Rotary Christmas Parade set to roll through downtown Chilliwack for 1st time since 2019
Smit said that people involved over the years have been “extraordinary” and “very dedicated to putting on a high-calibre parade.”
The parade committee is looking forward to seeing how creative people get with their floats.
“We want to wow all the spectators,” she said. “I hope to have a parade that the City of Chilliwack is proud of and I believe with where we’re at right now, having missed it for two years, it’ll be really special. Very special.”
People are also asked to bring non-perishable food items for the Salvation Army food bank. There will be drop-off locations along the parade route for easy convenience.
The Chilliwack Rotary Christmas Parade will take place Saturday, Dec. 3 and it’s presented by Mountainview Harley-Davidson and sponsored by the City of Chilliwack. For more info, including registration, how to get involved, and the parade route, go to chilliwackchristmasparade.ca. The registration deadline is Nov. 26. More volunteers are needed.
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