Celebrate the Season: A Kickoff to Christmas takes place in Downtown Ponoka on Friday, Nov. 15.
The evening will feature several holiday-themed festivities including:
- The annual Santa Claus Parade that will wind through downtown Ponoka at 5:30 p.m.;
- Tree lighting festivities and hot chocolate at approximately 6:15 p.m. at the Town Christmas tree located beside the new Ponoka Legion building at 48 Avenue and 51 Street;
- Live music featuring the Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra that will perform on a stage located beside the Town Christmas tree from about 6:30 to 8:15 p.m.;
- An animated, holiday-themed drone light show at about 8:15 p.m. that will be displayed over the Battle River Valley and can be viewed from 50 Street downtown;
- Moonlight Madness at businesses throughout Ponoka and the launch of the annual Passport to Christmas program by the Ponoka & District Chamber of Commerce;
Santa Claus Parade
The Santa Claus Parade will feature colourful, holiday-themed floats decorated by local businesses and community groups.
The Town of Ponoka will be accepting float registrations until Thursday, Nov. 14.
All floats will meet at the Ponoka Arena Complex (4410 54 Street) on Friday, Nov. 15.
The parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. and wind through downtown Ponoka:
- North along 54 Street;
- East on 46 Avenue;
- North on 50 Street;
- West on 51 Avenue;
- South on 51 Street;
- West on 48 Avenue; and
- South on 54 Street back to the Arena.
Click here for a larger parade route photo.
The Town of Ponoka will set up temporary road closures along the parade route just before 5 p.m.
The road closures will be removed once the parade ends.
Please do not invite Mr. or Mrs. Claus to ride on your float, as the Town of Ponoka is already making arrangements for Santa to appear in the parade.
If you have any questions, please email events@ponoka.ca or call 403-783-9940.
Santa Claus and Tree Lighting Festivities
Immediately after the parade ends, Santa Claus will arrive at the Town Christmas tree to hand out treats to young parade-goers.
The tree lighting ceremony will bring greetings from Ponoka Mayor Kevin Ferguson and representatives from event sponsors FortisAlberta and Ponoka County.
For those who cannot attend the Santa Claus parade and the tree lighting ceremony in person, there will be a livestream available on the Town of Ponoka’s Facebook page.
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@centralalbertaonline.com.
CentralAlbertaOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the CentralAlbertaOnline app.