The annual Candlelight Parade will return to Mission on Dec. 4.
Put on your winter coat, boots and mitts for the 7:30 p.m. start of Mission’s Candlelight Parade, one of the largest night time parades in B.C. The public is invited to come watch the floats strut to holiday tunes down Mission’s First Avenue between Horne and Park.
Attendees are advised to come early to get a great spot, and a donation of non-perishable items for the Mission Christmas Bureau is appreciated.
Volunteers will be collecting items up and down the parade route before the festivities begin.
Highway 7 closes at 6 p.m. along the parade route so come early, grab some dinner and dress warmly. You better watch out, Santa is on his way!
The changes to last year’s traffic plan were so successful, the same route and road closures will be implemented again this year, during the parade.
Highway 7 will be closed from Murray to Haig Street (entrance to Mission Hills Mall). Road closures begin at 6 p.m. and will end at 10 p.m.
Both directions of the Lougheed will be effected.
For information on the parade go to www.MissionChamber.bc.ca.
Quick Facts:
• The candlelight parade originally started as a day parade more than 40 years ago and has operated as a nighttime parade for 32 years.
• It has only been cancelled once due to snow.
• Over 14,000 spectators attend annually from as far away as White Rock, Bellingham and Hope.
• An average of 70 floats participate each year, from bands to schools to businesses. Entrants come from all over the Lower Mainland. They are judged by a panel of judges.
• Mission Chamber of Commerce has organized the parade for the last 27 years.