THUNDER BAY – The Parade of Lights is returning for its 22nd parade.
Parade of Lights organizers are thrilled to be able to hold the 22nd annual parade after it was cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
“We were ecstatic when we got the call from the city saying that we could go ahead with the parade thanks to being cleared by the District Health Unit, obviously we’re still having to conform to COVID restrictions, but, we’re ecstatic,” said chair Greg Stephenson,
“We’re hoping that we get a lot of trucks and a lot of people out to watch and have fun and raise some money for the four charities.”
This year's parade will take place on Dec. 4 and will follow its usual route, starting at Manitoulin Transport before heading down Main Street then Harbour Expressway where it will turn right onto Memorial Avenue and continue to Queen Street and then onto Fort William Road, ending on Water Street.
There will be a sensory friendly area on Fort William Road between Queen Street and Water Street where people can still enjoy the lights without getting overwhelmed by the loud sounds of truck horns.
Members of the Thunder Bay Police Service will be volunteering some off duty hours to direct traffic at major intersections.
Parade Walkers along the route will be wearing high-visibility vests and collecting donations that will go to support Autism Ontario-Thunder Bay and District, George Jeffrey Children's Centre, Special Olympics Ontario-Thunder Bay and Thunder Bay Therapeutic Riding Association.
The Parade Marshal this year will be Ivy Dick, 17, who is representing Autism Ontario.
