It’s going to be all Christmas, all day this Saturday in Memorial Peace Park in downtown Maple Ridge.
The main event is the annual Santa Claus Parade. The actual procession put on by the Maple Ridge Christmas Festival Society starts at 6 p.m. at Brown Avenue and 224th Street, then winds throughout the downtown, following 224th Street to Selkirk Avenue, where it disperses.
The parade will begin at that time, when the mayor turns on the lights for the big Christmas tree in Memorial Peace Park.
There’s plenty more to do in Memorial Peace Park – before the parade happens.
Christmas in the Park goes from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will feature Santa, crafts, cookies, popcorn and hot chocolate, plus a Christmas passport activity for the kids.
The Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association will be there, too.
The BIA will have its Christmas Market from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., just outside the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre, in Memorial Peace Park. Apple cider, musicians, crafts and food and activities will also help kick off Christmas in Maple Ridge.
Don’t forget to check out what’s going on inside the Arts Centre Theatre. It’s the second year for A Christmas Tradition, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., where a big tree is set up inside the lobby of the theatre that faces on to Memorial Peace Park.
Carol singing, story telling and Christmas activities are all free, while inside the main theatre, DuffleBag Theatre presents the old favourite A Christmas Carol, giving it an improvisational and interactive twist. The theatre event starts at 3:30 p.m. and tickets are $15.