It has been confirmed that the Santa Parade will make a welcome return to Greytown’s streets this December.
It’s been two years since the town hosted the event, and local Wayne Terry was determined to ensure the hiatus didn’t continue – in large part because his nine-year-old daughter Lilly volunteered him for the job.
The parade – which is being held on Saturday, December 16, starting at 1.30pm – will take a different route from previous years, as SH2 has been ruled out.
Instead, participants will congregate on East St at the junction that meets Jellicoe St before moving down East St to finish at the Greytown Rugby Club to join with the Carols at Cobblestones event.
Traffic control is one of the biggest costs associated with organising the parade, Terry said, but the Greytown Community Board Trust has come to the party.
The parade’s primary aim is to bring back the magic of Christmas for local kids, and Terry said he hopes people show up with “lots of colour, lots of noise, and have lots of fun”.
To avoid the event being seen as a cynical PR exercise, local businesses participating in the parade have been asked not to try to use it for this purpose.
Terry said the support he’s received from the community is amazing and even More FM’s Brent Gare has helped spread the word on air.
Westpac Life Flight has also gotten involved, and Greytown Menz Shed will be delivering Santa’s sleigh.
There will be no entry fee for parade floats, and Terry hopes the event can bring all the local clubs, schools, churches, and associations together, although the number of floats may be capped if it gets too out of hand.
Terry has years of experience organising events both in New Zealand and England, and has also worked in the West End, London’s live entertainment mecca.
