Thousands line streets for ‘magical’ Santa Parade
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Brandon’s downtown streets turned into a glowing corridor of holiday excitement Saturday evening as thousands of residents gathered for the 2025 Brandon Santa Parade and to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.
Families lined Rosser, Princess avenues, 17th and Sixth Streets — some bundled up in winter gear and seated in their foldable chairs. Others were too excited to sit and stood instead, waving eagerly as the beloved Christmas couple rolled by.
This year’s celebration made history by surpassing the roughly 80 entries organizers had expected just a day earlier.
The unprecedented participation was estimated to be more than 90 entries — bolstered in part by classic car enthusiasts who took advantage of the milder weather (-1 C), chair Ashleigh Hamm told the Sun after the parade on Saturday.
“This year’s parade was magical, … it was fantastic,” Hamm said. “I wish someone could count how many people were here because there were so many people.”
Comparing the event to last year, she said, “We had about 20 more floats this year than last year’s 62. The crowd looked bigger too.”
The number of spectators was difficult to calculate, but Hamm estimated the turnout to be in the thousands.
The parade began at Sixth Street and Rosser Avenue, travelled west to 17th Street, turned south, and then made its way east along Princess Avenue before closing near the starting point.
This year’s turnout and energy surpassed 2024’s event, Mr. and Mrs. Claus told the Sun after the parade.
“There were a lot more floats and a lot more people out,” Santa said. “It was great to see so many more people.”
Mrs. Claus said with a laugh, “Yes, and we brought snow with us this year! That didn’t happen last year.”
They described the evening as heartwarming and full of community spirit.
“Oh, fabulous,” Mrs. Claus said. “The kids and the families are so amazing that they come out. It’s wonderful.”
The couple said they are already looking forward to returning next year — possibly to even more floats.
While the event ran smoothly, Hamm said the only challenge was managing the expanded staging area due to the high number of floats.
“If we have more than this next year, we may need to make alternate arrangements,” she said. “But that’s a good problem to have.”
She added that if the parade continues to grow, organizers may review the route to accommodate future expansion.
She said the artificial snow on Santa’s float was an unexpected delight for spectators. “It was a nice surprise,” Hamm said.
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