No snow on the ground yet, but Christmas is in the air.

Santa Claus will officially arrive in Greater Moncton on Saturday night.

President of the Royale Greater Moncton Santa Claus Parade Committee Alex Morton says there will be around 50 floats this year, “We start off with a food drive with the Corey Craig Tim Hortons float that picks up food donations for those less fortunate in the community. That is followed by the Royale float which is new and upgraded for this year. We do have at least two marching bands coming through and then a number of local businesses, high schools, and community groups. You’ll get to see the Christmas tree, which is always interesting to see go underneath the subway. It’s a retractable Christmas tree and can shrink down so it can go underneath the overpass. Then there’s Mrs. Claus and then the grand finale at the end is the big jolly guy himself..”

The parade starts at 5 o’clock at Main and Cameron Streets and ends at Paul Street.

The Royale Greater Moncton Santa Claus Parade has marked the start of the holiday season for more than 55 years. Thousands of families from throughout New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island flock to the downtown core to celebrate the Christmas spirit.

“The parade has been such an iconic part of Southeastern New Brunswick for decades.  It’s a great way to know what Moncton is all about. It’s an incredible feeling to take part in the event and know you’re part of a long tradition of community members making memories for each other,” Morton adds.

The parade’s theme for 2022 is A North Pole Party.

Canada Post employees will also be walking the route, accepting letters for Santa.

It was absent for the past few years due to the pandemic.

A couple of reminders if you are planning on attending on Saturday night, “Please don’t step out onto the street. We try to keep the roads clear and make sure it is safe for the floats to go down. Please don’t park on Main Street. If it doesn’t get towed it will get stuck there because there will be a parade going through,” Morton says.

There will be some road closures to take note of if you are heading downtown.

In Moncton, from 1 p.m. until approximately 7 p.m:

• Closure of Vaughan Harvey Boulevard from St. George Street to Canada Street, leaving the intersections of Vaughan Harvey Boulevard at Main Street open to traffic.
  From 3 p.m. until approximately 7 p.m.
• Closure of Main Street from Enterprise Street to Cameron Street.
  From 4 p.m. until approximately 7 p.m.
• Closure of Main Street from Cameron Street, and of Champlain Street (Dieppe), to Paul Street.
• Closure of Downing Street from Main Street to Assomption Boulevard.

In Dieppe, closures between 4 and 8 p.m.

• Champlain Street, from the western city limits to Acadie Avenue
• Paul Street, from Champlain Street to Olivier Street
• Virginia Avenue, only the one-lane section